In Wake
by Corky Riviera
Summary: Desperate to revive Mono, Lin is set off in order to slay sixteen colossi that live in the forbidden land... a faithful retelling of Shadow of the Colossus.
1. Introduction

_In Wake_

_**A "Shadow of the Colossus" Fanfiction**_

_Introduction_

Since the first whispers of a game known as 'Wanda and the Colossus' (or 'Wander and the Giant Statue') I have been waiting for a chance to have this wonderful work of art in my hands for the first time. Merely gazing at the cover art took my breath away at the sheer size of the foes you encounter. Capturing me with the same wonder as ICO, I was gladly pulled into the light realms of this wonderful game.

My first trip into this world was a wonderful experience, gazing upon endless landscapes that seemed to stretch forever. Moved by the plight of the main character (a boy only known as Wander) I was unhesitant in finding my first foe- and what a sight! Scaling the mountain of the beast, I feared what would happen were I to fall underfoot or to be hit- and when the creature fell, the extreme satisfaction that rolled through my body was awesome. But then realizing this was the first of many ahead, I somewhat dreaded Wander's future!

But this tale is more than 'save the girl' and 'fight monsters'. It is a tale of true love; of hope and hopelessness, power, determination, companionship, and betrayal. It is also, at least to me, a tragedy in part. And so it is without hesitation that I started this fanfiction, my personal thanks to the team that brought this story to life.

Following hand-in-hand with my Ico fanfiction, I warn the reader that unless you have finished 'Shadow of the Colossus' entirely, there will be spoilers, even at the beginning. While the story behind your efforts is announced much later in the game, I have a tendency to spread the story out to fill the entire story. So read at your own risk.

As some people have commented to me about my Ico fanfiction, this fanfiction will be accurate to the strategies used to bring each colossi down. This probably makes this a 'glorified walkthrough', and if it does help you, I'd love to hear about it. Any comments about the story, good or bad, are accepted, as well.

Despite this, I may make a few changes in the storyline- namely, the main character's name. I figured that, while playing, the poor thing HAD no name (until the credits, of course) so I nicknamed him 'Lin'. To add a personal touch, the story will address him as such. All of the other names remain the same (as stated in the credits), and I will use the proper names for each colossi.

With that, I ask you to join me in this story, and follow the trials of Lin, his trusty steed Agro, and Mono, the woman Lin loves more dearly than life itself. Step now into this tale…


	2. Das Wandern

_In Wake_

_I: Das Wandern_

Slowly the door to the church slid open, the hand firmly yet carefully pushing upon the rough wooden surface. It wouldn't do if someone heard it creak. The only light that filtered through was of that of the moon and stars through a large circular window above the altar. The breeze freely swept through the stone building as he took a silent step inside.

Just outside, his horse waited in silence, watching the man quietly creep into the sanctuary. Only pausing to make sure the steed was still in place, Lin faced the altar and began quickly walking across the stone floors. A mosaic of colored glass glimmered in the dark, until his shadow swept over it. Lying across the stone altar, bathed in the cool moonlight lay a figure swaddled in dark leather. A pair of white feet were left unexposed, a reminder to any who gazed upon the figure that they were dead in the eyes of both the mortals and God. Lin lingered only a moment in sweet memory, and then slipped his hands under the soft curves, slowly lifting the limp bundle up. He was now halfway prepared- he just needed the sword.

Making his way carefully back to Agro, the horse stirred a little when the bundle was rested across the saddle. With a reassuring pat, Lin held the reins and silently began leading Agro across the well-walked earth. Around him, the village slept, but yet he was extremely wary of his surroundings. His short walk led him down to a smaller, lichen-covered stone temple nestled between two very tall, old trees. It had looked that way forever.

_We're not supposed to be near that temple. Lord Emon told me so!_

Shrugging off the useless memory (and the unnecessary, childhood fear that came with it) Lin stepped within the entirely dark building, but was clearly able to see the polished steel. Stepping forth, he wrapped his hand around the strong hilt, and pulled it out of the carved niche. He carefully put it into his hilt (his old sword lay now on his own bed, useless in this venture) and then left. Mounting the black steed, and moving the bundle into place, he spurred the horse into a slow gallop. The path ahead was nearly swallowed by the low branches and hard to make out in the darkness, but the horse pushed on, ever growing faster. Though now free of the village, Lin still had much standing in his way.

The path eventually split into a main road, but Agro was led down a barely-existent trail, stray grass and stones being left behind in his wake. Lin continued to spur him on feverishly, in a hurry to get as far away from home as possible. As the morning grew closer, he found in the depths of the woods, surrounded by sheer darkness.

Lin could only imagine the sheer trouble he'd be in were he caught. He knew that what he just had done was a moral sin, but his true quest was much nobler. In the eyes of God, wouldn't he be more right doing this task than silently accepting what had happened? Wouldn't it impress God that, through sheer will, Lin would change the fate of the fallen one riding with him? He knew in his heart, somehow, that it would all be forgiven. Even if that wasn't true, the reward would be greater than heaven itself. The sun had begun rising.

"Lord Emon, someone had been in the church last night."

The old man had been stirred early in the morning. After readying himself to enter church, he donned a mask fashioned in the shape of an owl's face and followed two younger men to the building. He motioned for them to wait outside as he walked within. The blue mosaic shimmered in the low sunlight before him, the altar before lying empty.

"She's gone!"

Two days had passed. Lin had to face sharp winds and slapping rain as he slowly rode across grasslands, passing by rippling ponds and clumps of trees. He knew he was growing closer. Soon the fields gave way to another wood, the light filtered through the thick canopy. Just a little farther…

The third day announced his arrival. Emerging from the trees, horse and rider were greeted by huge, towering stone walls that seemed to make a hallway. Pressing onward, he stared at the sheer walls covered in worn and chipped patterns. The light poured from the other end, and as soon as he reached it, he forced Agro to a halt.

Before them, a huge bridge led to a massive temple, birds flying outside its walls. The wind howled, drowning out all other noise. Miles below lay curling sands that moved almost as if it were alive. The narrow bridge led to a door. Starting off again, the travelers made their way across the blue-tinged bridge.

It was shaped with massive, half-arches, towering up to the clouds themselves. The sheer size was a wonder, and Lin almost had to refrain from looking at the landscape below. He turned his eyes back to the temple. The stone door before them lay closed, and Agro ground to a halt before it, fussing a little. Lin hesitated, but then the door began to slide open. Dust fell loose as it rose into the ceiling, coming to a halt, allowing the party within. As soon as they were in, however, it closed again, sealing them inside.

Through the dark hall lay a tower with a spiral of stairs all down its length. Above, the roof was open to allow the sunlight pour down. Directly below was a shallow reflecting pond, completely still and perfectly reflective. Lin paid little attention as Agro descended; he had finally reached the place he had worried might not exist.

"_That place… began from the resonance of intersecting points. They are memories replaced by ens and naught and etched into stone." The campfire crackled with heat as Lord Emon answered. "Blood, young sprouts, sky- and the one with the ability to control the beings created from light… In that world, it is said that if one should wish it one can bring back the souls of the dead…"_

This was the answer that had brought him here.

"…_but to trespass upon that land is strictly forbidden…"_

Reaching the bottom, Agro turned quickly with a faint whinny, heading out the wide-arched door. Passing through, Lin was engulfed by the misty light that filled the corridor.

The inner chamber of the sanctum was breathtaking. The ceiling rose dramatically with arched niches carved into the walls, each housing a massive figure made of stone. Each towered over the pair, the cold eyes glaring down at them. Further on lay the yellow-stoned altar, facing an open balcony where some birds sat. But most astounding was the sheer light that poured from the roof, through an open hole. Lin felt dwarfed in such a place, but he didn't let that shake him. Bringing his horse to a halt just before the stairs leading to the altar, Lin dismounted then slowly took hold of the shrouded figure that he had carried so carefully on the long journey. Sliding it into his arms delicately, he began up the flight of stairs to the altar. He lay the body tenderly down upon it, careful to rest its head down and make sure the body was lying straight, yet comfortably. He grasped the shroud, and then gave a strong pull.

The shroud tore away and landed on the stone floor as a white skirt slowly settled upon pale, cold skin. Lying in silence, her brown hair moved lightly in the wind, as did the sleeves of her somberly decorated dress. Lin slowly took her right hand and rest it across her breast, over the still heart. How cold was that hand, but how tenderly and dearly he held it! She looked asleep. If only she would wake, at least, with enough time for him to tell her…

"Mono…"

Agro let out a whinny, backing away as black shadows rose from the floors. They grew up to full size, as tall as a man, dripping with darkness. The figures seemed disoriented, but soon focused on the two invading the sanctuary. Lin turned facing the creatures as they slowly began to draw closer. He rested his hand on his hilt. Drawing the beautiful, gleaming blade, he pointed it straight at the beasts. With not a word, they slowly dissipated, leaving nothing behind. But outside, the sky began to stir.

Thunder rolled through the sky, chasing the thunder. In the cloudy cacophony, a single bolt shot down as the light in the sanctuary increased tenfold. Billowing down like a beam from the ceiling, a haunting whisper graced the cold walls.

**_Hmm? _**The voice was of male and female at the same time, **_Thou possesses the Ancient Sword? So thou art mortal…_**

"Are you Dormin?" Lin put the blade away, sliding it carefully into the hilt. He stared up at the light, as it seemed to be the source of the voice. "I was told that in this place at the end of the world, there exists a being who can control the souls of the dead."

_**Thou art correct… We are the one known as Dormin.**_

Lin turned his head toward Mono's body. "She was sacrificed for she has a cursed fate. Please, I need you to bring back her soul…"

A chuckle rolled through the halls, echoing off the statues, causing a slight amount of hurt to come to the young man. The shroud had begun to blow away, as if it were being pushed out of the way. **_That maiden's soul? Souls that are once lost cannot be reclaimed, is that not the law of mortals? With that sword, however, it may not be impossible…_**

"Really?"

**_That is, of course… _**The voice grew a somber, almost sweet tone, **_…if thou manage to accomplish what We askest._**

"What do I have to do?" He was ready for any request, staring up anxiously.

_**Behold the idols that stand along the wall… Thou art to destroy all of them. But those idols cannot be destroyed by the mere hands of a mortal…**_

"Then… what do I have to do?" He nervously repeated himself.

_**In this land there exist colossi that are incarnations of those idols. If thou defeat those colossi… the idols shall fall.**_

"I understand."

**_But heed this… _**The tone became warning. **_The price you pay may be heavy indeed._**

"It doesn't matter."

_**Very well… Raise thy sword by the light… and head to the place where the sword's light gathers. There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat. Now, be on thy way.**_


	3. Jagen Des Ungeheuers

_In Wake_

_II: Jagen Des Ungeheuers_

_**Volus…**_

Lin walked to the balcony, bathing in the warm morning sun. He now had his instructions, and decided to act before he was doubtful. So, his first task was to raise his sword. Pulling the weapon from the hilt, he rose it up. As soon as the light hit it, the light refocused into beams, startling him a little. When he faced straight ahead- north- the beams joined. But as he slowly moved the sword, the beams spread apart- it was nothing more than a fancy tracking system!

He rechecked the location just in case before sheathing the blade. Quickly turning, he re-entered the sanctum to take a pair of stairs that led to the field below. Agro followed faithfully, catching up to the man outside. As soon as Agro was near, Lin mounted and gave a sharp kick. Agro shot off like an arrow, straight ahead, across the crispy grass.

This forbidden land, as it were, seemed hauntingly empty, even though a hawk soon swept past the rider. But it didn't feel bad nor evil in any sense. Just… abandoned, somehow. He only occasionally had to spur Agro in order to keep him galloping, but the trip was short and otherwise uneventful as they came up to a rock face. Grinding to a halt, Agro shook out his mane after Lin dismounted.

"Is this the right place?" He pulled out the sword and raised it, but as he was bathed in the canyons' shadow it did nothing to aid him. Backing away until the light hit the blade, he found it to be directing him straight ahead, the intersecting beams literally burning a hole into the rock before him. Putting the blade away, he looked up.

There was a path, of sorts. Long since abandoned, it had given way in many places creating large gaps. There was no direct way onto the lowest level of the path… but then Lin laid eyes upon a thick patch of vines that had grown onto the rock. Leaving Agro (who didn't mind, having a chance to rest and eat some grass) the young man took to the patch and as he found it strong, he began to climb. Pulling himself up, he felt very faint vibrations. He looked up. "It must be up there…"

Being forced to leap over a gap and then hoist himself up onto the next level, Lin was surprised about how tired he was- the long ride had taken a slight toll on his body. But he couldn't let this stop him. Moving to the end of the path, he found that, well, it was literally the end. Almost swallowed by age and the rock, a pillar with a raised design around its face awaited him. A large ridge wrapped around to the other side, which Lin couldn't see. But without hesitation, Lin grabbed hold of the lip of the pillar and slowly moved around to the other side. The path continued here- he leapt across and continued to climb up slowly.

Reaching the top, he was jostled with large vibrations, the sounds of massive feet moving across the earth. Before climbing to the flat top of the canyon (a mesa, actually, obvious now) he looked up to see the figure lumber past.

Hoof-like feet hit the earth hard, causing the topsoil to tear apart from the sheer weight. The large, furry hand swung past as the creature continued forward, on some monotonous path set in its mind. Rock armor around its wrist, knees, waist and shoulders poured dust as each joint moved. The rest of the body was covered in thick brown fur, straight up onto its head which seemed to have sawn-off horns. The eyes stared ahead unblinking, the stone 'nose' being the only other feature of the burly giant. But what frightened Lin was the massive club it carried in its right hand, made of solid stone. It passed with no notice as Lin climbed to the top of the mesa, birds freely flying around the colossus's head. It didn't even know Lin was there!

"How do I –kill- this thing?"

**_Thy sword can reveal its vitals… _**The voice whispered in Lin's ears. **_If thou raise thy blade and bathe the colossi in light…_**

****Lin, without hesitation, did just that- the beams focused on the back of the creature's right leg, and also focused near the creature's head. He was left with only one choice- he had to CLIMB it. So, running into the middle of the field, he let out a sharp whistle.

The beast (Valus, as Dormin had last whispered at the sanctuary) turned its head slowly, catching glimpse of the small creature. Slowly turning its bulk, it started lurching ahead, following instinct: smash the thing, and therefore all would be well again. Lin held as steady as he could as it grew closer, the feet sending out heavy shockwaves. As Volus came in range, the colossi drew its weapon up and slammed it down against the earth, causing dirt and grass to fly. As he drew the weapon up, he found the small creature to be gone.

Lin had run under the beast- with a sharp turn, he leapt onto the lower leg which was covered in dense fur. As soon as Volus realized this, he began to violently shake his leg back and forth. Lin held on for dear life, finding he had an almost perfect (yet physically tiring) hold and was able to remain steady until the beast was forced to put its foot back down. Drawing the sword, he found a blue crack began to shine through the fur. With little time to waste, he drew the sword up and slammed it into the crack.

Volus let out a cry as it slowly fell forward onto its knee, catching itself on its club. When steady, Lin leapt up onto the lower back of the colossus just as it righted itself. His arms were steadily tiring, so he moved fast up the back until he came to the rock armor around the waist. He hoisted himself ontop, then knelt in order to keep his balance as Volus lumbered forward.

_"This isn't as bad as I thought…" _He remained silent, resting his arms, _"These things aren't incredibly bright…"_

_"These things aren't incredibly bright." A young boy held onto a dove which flapped in panic- he had caught the creature just as it took off. A brown-haired, little girl came up beside him, walking across stones that lined the small pond._

_"Just because you caught it quickly doesn't mean it's not smart!" She scolded, "Don't hurt it. It didn't do anything to you."_

_"I'm not going to hurt it… you'd cry. Here." He put the bird into Mono's hands._

_"I'd only cry because it can't cry itself." She rested her cheek against the bird's soft head. Raising her arms up, she opened her hands and the bird suddenly took off, leaving naught but a feather. "They feel too, you know. Never hurt anything that hasn't done anything wrong. Promise?"_

_"Okay, okay, you're taking this far too seriously!"_

Lin, rested, opened his eyes and pivoted to face the furry back and continued his climb. Coming to its shoulders, Volus began to shake in anger, but couldn't dislodge Lin as the man continued to stubbornly ascend the colossus. Coming up to its head, a large glowing symbol appeared on the very back of its skull. Positioning himself, he drew up his sword as far as his arm would allow him, and with a shout, he stabbed the blade all the way up in up to the hilt.

Volus cried in pain as Lin felt the blade push out- pulling it up, he was suddenly hit in the face with thick black gore. Spitting the noxious liquid out and trying to wipe his face, Lin was suddenly thrown from the head as Volus whipped it around. Hitting the ground, Lin laid in silence as Volus began turning in order to face the man. As it grew closer, the warrior slowly got to his knees, wiping the blinding fluid from his eyes. Volus brought his club down, and Lin narrowly rolled out of the way as it connected with the earth.

Scrambling upright, Lin began his climb over once more, growing ever-more weary. Reaching the scalp, he again stabbed the creature but remembered to turn his face away. The sheer pressure inside the veins of Volus made the black blood shoot out like a geyser. Hanging on, Lin survived another sharp shake of the head and stabbed once more. The creature moaned in agony, weakly trying to force him off before the last blow was delivered.

Succumbing to pain, Volus lurched back, and then started to fall face first. Lin held on tightly as the creature fell to its knees, and then continued to fall. The heavy club tore into the earth, and the left hand slammed heavily on the other side, as Volus's face met the earth and the black blood slowly trickled to a halt. Lin, horribly dirty, slid off and turned to stare at the fallen beast. Then he saw an odd movement.

No longer leaking blood, the open wound on the creatures head suddenly grew black tendrils that light barely filtered through- they rose to the sky and then shot down straight at Lin, piercing his body. All the air left his body as he wheezed in pain, black mist rolling out of his mouth and nose. With a groan, Lin fell and was swallowed into darkness.

Light engulfed his senses.


	4. Innerhalb Der Küstehöhle

_In Wake_

_III: Innerhalb Der Küstehöhle_

_"No matter what happens?"_

_"No matter WHAT happens…"_

A single black figure accompanied a body within the sanctuary.

Consciousness slowly drifted back to Lin, his head pounding as his cheek lay against cold stone. Forcing his eyes open, he found himself lying across the floor of the sanctuary that housed the stone idols- how did he get here? He barely remembered a thing. Getting upright, he slowly started for the altar where Mono still lay in absolute silence.

A single, pure-white dove hopped about, taking off in quick flaps as he approached her. Barely stepping up to the altar, Lin turned when the sanctuary was rocked with vibrations. The first statue began to glow brightly as the rumbling increased. The light intensified and suddenly, like a popped balloon, the statue seemed to implode, crumbling to pieces in a pile of dust. He had really done it! The first idol had fallen.

Haunting whispers rose in the room, and a familiar voice soon followed. **_Thy next foe is in the seaside cave… Quadratus. It moves slowly… Raise thy courage to defeat it._**

All fell into silence once more. Returning a soft gaze to Mono's relaxed features, Lin let himself temporarily slip into sweet memories. She was still that little girl who walked the pond-stones in his heart, who was always there to keep a secret or two and would _mostly _accept childhood teasing. Even as the two had grown, she had never lost that childlike spirit, forever a dreamer. How Lin wished he were the same way.

He was torn from his thoughts when the sounds of hooves clacking against stone became audible- turning to the source, he found Agro awaiting him with a hot puff of breath. Lin walked up to the beautiful creature. "Agro…"

The horse remained still as Lin ran his hand down the fine black neck. If it weren't for Agro, Lin would be completely alone in this 'forbidden land'… and he was amazed the horse knew to return. But then… how long did Agro wait for him at the bottom of the mesa? "I'm sorry, old friend… I hope I didn't worry you."

Lin slowly led Agro back out into the grass outside the temple. Bathing in the light, he raised his sword high- the beams grew together when facing north. Mounting Agro, Lin let out a yell and the two were off once more.

"Somebody has passed by here a day or two ago." A warrior from the village was knelt before a bush, staring at the leaves that had been torn away from something passing by very fast. "He covered his tracks well, but not good enough."

"Then we will not dawdle here longer," Emon was sitting on a pure white horse that had a fiery gleam in its eyes, the old man wearing the owl mask. "He already has a day ahead of us, and we haven't time to waste."

The knight nodded and mounted his own horse, joining once more the rest of Emon's followers. Upon their lord's command, the group was back on the trail Lin had tried hard to hide.

Large statues, tilted and worn by age, greeted the rider and his horse as they rapidly approached the land-bridge to the north. They depicted the upper-half of a human with the hands rested behind the head, both facing the sanctuary. Lin paid little attention to them as Agro tore past, running across the narrow strip of earth that hung precariously over a very large ravine. Turning to the right, Lin was soon riding beside a canyon- down below the sea slapped against the white sands, causing a roaring noise to echo up. A ramp down, probably carved there in ancient times, gave them easy passage. Thundering down onto the white sands, Agro turned abruptly and continued down the length of the sands, growing closer to a sealed alcove.

Agro ground to a halt as Lin gazed at the alcove- it was blockaded with carved stone. But not two seconds later did something within it stir, a booming vibration rippling across the sand. Lin's horse panicked as the wall burst forth, the massive horned head of the colossus smashing through. It clambered forth on four hooves, fixing its eye on Lin who leapt off Agro just as the horse shot off in fear. Slowly it began lumbering forward.

Lin hesitated, staring up at the stony face of Quadratus- one horn had been knocked off in age. He wasn't sure what it would do- it was too slow to attempt to charge him, and it didn't seem the beast would attack with that single horn (as it looked as if the missing one was painful.) Lin daringly allowed it to come close.

It began to arch up onto its back feet, revealing soft skin on the very bottom of its hooves. Lin easily moved out of the way as it came down, rocking the earth violently. Lin dove behind a rock, and the beast dumbly stared ahead.

"This one's dumber than the first." Lin pulled his bow off his shoulder. Lin actually had much more skill with this weapon than the Ancient Sword, exactly why he brought this alternative along. Now to prove its use!

Moving out from behind the rock, he let out a sharp whistle (Agro responded with a panicked whinny as he usually came running at that command) that caught Quadratus's interest. Once again allowing the creature to lumber forth, Lin drew an arrow and readied it. Quadratus rose, revealing the hooves- it let out a cry of pain as Lin hit his mark almost perfectly. It collapsed onto its knee, and due to its bulk, it collapsed onto its side.

Running quickly to the injured hoof, Lin leapt and caught onto the dense, brown fur covering the leg and began climbing, even as the beast righted itself. His goal was a veritable shelf of cartilage protruding from the beast's shoulder, easily reached and used as a rest area. Quadratus, unable to see where Lin went, focused its attention on Agro instead and started off slowly after the much-quicker creature. When it was steady, Lin put his bow back over his shoulder and drew the Ancient Sword. Catching the light, it revealed the first weak point was on the creature's tailbone, behind ridges of protruding, stony spine. With a leap onto the furry flank, Lin began moving for the tail.

Feeling the man crawling in its fur, Quadratus began shaking as best it could to dislodge him, but was unable to do so for long since the heavy body wasn't made for such movement. It tried again when Lin moved just over the weak spot on the tailbone, again failing. It let out a sharp cry when the blade sunk into its flesh, the wound spraying out black gore when the weapon was removed.

Lin struck the area again, causing the beast massive amounts of pain before the glowing mark disappeared. When Quadratus became mostly steady, Lin tried to find the next location with the sword- it was at the crown of the head. But directly before him lay the tall backbone and exposed ribs. He had his work cut out for him.

Clambering up (and becoming tired very rapidly) Lin hoisted himself up the first of several ribs, ducking down on the other side to take a rest. It was actually quite nice there, as he had a backrest and the sea air freely wound around him, taking his heat away. When ready, he continued to crawl up and over the rest of the spine until once again he reached fur. Quadratus shook violently, almost causing Lin to fall- he held on with one hand and prayed to the gods he'd survive. When the beast tired, Lin ran up to the flat head.

He was now looking down at the beach from the colossus's viewpoint. Agro darted this way and that to avoid the lumbering beast. He drew the blade up, and then plunged it deep into Quadratus's skull.

The creature screamed in agony and started to whip its head as hard as it could- Lin was knocked from his position and barely managed to hang on, with one hand, at the very edge of its neck. Swinging his weight, Lin caught more fur and pulled himself back up, his heart racing. Again, to the head- a second stab and the creature again screamed. With the last of his strength, Lin shouted and drove the blade in for a final time.

With a droning wail, the creature lost its balance and began tipping over- as Lin held on, the huge bulk came smashing against the sand, causing debris to fly everywhere. Lin hopped off as soon as he could, and turned around to see tendrils rise out of the creature's head.

"Damn things!" Lin drew his blade and faced the rising tentacles. When at the peak, they thrust down at him violently- he tried to slice at them but it had no effect and they plunged into his body. Pain shot through his body as he winced, then he collapsed forward onto his face, swallowed by black once more.


	5. Schlafenzorn

_In Wake_

_IV: Schlafenzorn_

_"I won't ever leave you."_

_"No matter what happens?"_

_"No matter WHAT happens…"_

Two figures, made of misty darkness, stared down at the body lying on the floor. Silence was shattered as the second statue began to vibrate, until it finally imploded, turning into a pile of dust. Lin came back to himself, his arms and legs aching terribly as he slowly pushed himself upright. Glancing at the shattered idol, he rose to his feet and instinctively turned his head up at the light that endlessly shone through the skylight.

**_Thy next foe is Gaius…_** The multi-gender voices mingled among whispers, **_A giant canopy soars to the heavens… the anger of the sleeping giant shatters the earth… _**

****The voices subsided, causing Lin to instantly turn to look at Mono. Ever still did she lay there, wind ruffling her loose, lavender sleeves. Two doves sat before the altar, occasionally chirping. They took off when the familiar sound of hooves echoed across the mighty hall.

Lin hurried to Agro, and pet him as he gazed over the horse's body. He was afraid that he might have been hurt when Quadratus had fallen, but there were no injuries. How invaluable was Agro's distraction during that battle! Lin smiled a little, stroking Agro softly. "Good friend… thank you so much…"

Agro allowed himself to be led out into the grass, taking a moment to nibble at the dry green stalks as Lin raised his sword high- the beams concentrated when facing northwest. Climbing into the saddle, Lin yelled and yet again they left the sanctuary behind. They found themselves racing across the same land-bridge as before, and even came up to the area that let them down to the beach. Passing by the ramp they entered wide, bright green fields, hawks soaring high above the landscape. Lin rode Agro close to the Cliffside until they could cross onto the other half of the field. Ahead of them awaited yet another canyon, drenched in shadow. But before this lie a small temple, covered in lichens and worn by age. Lin pulled on the reins quickly, forcing Agro to a quick stop- the man hopped off and walked up to the temple.

Its face had a slab of highly-polished stone, the words of God written upon its face in ancient text. As Lin approached, the stone seemed to glow as it reflected sunlight, becoming almost mirror-like.

Lin was faced with the image of himself, his red hair slowly browning at the tips, presumably due to the blood the colossi spewed forth. His sky-blue eyes nearly glowed on his light face. The shroud he wore, along with his brown shirt and green pants, were becoming dirty at the same rate as his hair- it didn't bother him. He slowly knelt down before the temple, clasping his hands tightly in prayer.

Agro quietly gazed about as his companion whispered his message hastily to God, the breeze running through Agro's thick mane.

"…and safe travel for our souls." Lin remained kneeling for a moment more, and then rose. Though he knew God was with him even in this 'forbidden land', it was reassuring to actually see a structure that gently reminded all. His spirits were renewed as he remounted Agro, the two making quick work of entering the canyon. Silent wishes left behind, Lin felt ready for anything.

Lin brought Agro to a slow stop while gazing around the canyon- it split in half, cool fog thick among the rocks. A salamander skittered under Agro's hooves as the man looked down each path. The sword would be useless here. It was quietly decided to head straight- turning around was always an option, after all.

The warrior's judgment proved right as they emerged by a foggy lakeside, Agro coming to a halt before the waters. The lake itself seemed oddly still at the shore. But more importantly, rising from the lakebed were huge pillars supporting a curling, crumbling walkway that led up to a massive platform. Lin gazed in awe at the sheer size of the man-made platform. Though he could not see what was upon its surface, images of a worship ground easily played in his mind, or even a well-protected settlement. But most of all, he knew this was his destination.

"Take care of yourself, friend." He gave Agro a pat before sloshing out into the bitterly-cold lake. When able, he instantly dived under and quickly began swimming, pushing the cold out of his mind. There was nothing alive in this lake beside he, no fish or plants of any kind. Perhaps this place was always covered in such thick fog not even algae could form here. Coming up for breath, he found himself only halfway there and dove under again.

Reaching the bottom of the path (the very end had crumbled a long time ago and he had to pull himself up) he took a moment to wring out his clothes as best he could. His hair dripped from the dark tips as he started climbing up for the heavens. The rocks had shifted in age, and made for some awkward stepping as he neared the end- literally.

The trail had abruptly come to a halt, the rest of the path entirely gone. A support pillar, probably once holding up a ramp, was all that was left, to the right of the path. It was characteristic of the other structures around, with a raised 'lip' design. Lin leapt and grabbed ahold of this and began shimmying around to the other side. The platform had a trail running around it, looking steady enough, but if only it weren't so far! With all his might, he pushed off the pillar and barely caught the trail. Swinging his weight, he swung up and took a minute to rest.

The wind howled up here- he looked down at the beach, at least a mile away from where he was sitting, and could see Agro patiently waiting. Lin smiled a bit in admiration of the horse before heading for a short staircase. Stepping upon the grass-covered platform, he was facing a mountain of rock.

Though at first it seemed like nothing but rubble, something stirred. The entire pile made a creaking noise, a long beam suddenly moving. The pile began to rise, the giant having been resting on its back. Slamming the huge, sword-like pillar down, it pushed itself up on that arm, towering VERY high above Lin. Its head had a pair of flat horns, a rocky beak-like expression fixed upon its furry face. Huge rings of armor, pouring dust and small chips for every movement, ran around its wrists and stomach. The legs were pure stone, the feet round orbs- the hand opposite of the pillar was swaddled with stone. As Lin stared, gasping, Gaius turned its head to face him.

Swallowing his fear, Lin drew the sword and raised it high- a weak spot on the stomach and head appeared. He then charged the monster, hoping to find some sort of path up the legs- as soon as he came close, it brought its foot up and back down, rocking the earth so violently Lin was tossed aside, skidding to a halt on his face. Getting up and coughing out grass and dirt, he retreated until he came across a stone circle in the center of the platform. Gaius slowly turned, moving closer.

"What do I do?"

**_Its armor looks brittle… _**Dormin's voice floated freely across the breeze. **_Perhaps, were it to strike with its weapon where thou art standing…_**

****Lin looked down for a millisecond at the stone circle, and then quickly returned his attention to Gaius. When it came to a certain range, it suddenly knelt back a little, holding the sword out. Lin waited- it swiftly began to pull the huge arm up. As it reached its peak, Lin prepared to dive out of the way, but the sword fell MUCH faster than he had anticipated.

It smashed against the platform, the ring of armor around the wrist violently shattering. It groaned, slowly dragging its sword back up into proper position. By the sheer force of the smash, Lin had been tossed aside, his head bleeding violently from a piece of the circle that had been dislodged. Wincing painfully, he moved to his knees, forcing himself upright. Gaius tottered forth, preparing for another strike- Lin instantly began running to save his hide.

The sword came slamming down not far behind Lin- he ground to a halt when Gaius began moaning. It had imbedded its own weapon so deeply into the earth it was stuck! The sword made a straight path up to the wrist. Seizing the chance, Lin scrambled back and leapt up onto the stone weapon. Running up the smooth surface, he leapt onto the arm's fur just as Gaius pulled itself free.

Lin was able to pause for a moment on what was left of the armor before attempting to climb onto the beast's shoulders. His head pounded as he crawled up the dense gray fur, and he nearly lost his senses when Gaius began trying to shake him off. Shaking off dizziness, he climbed to the scalp and pulled out the blade.

The glowing weak area appeared just under him- with a yell, he drew the sword up and drove it in, Gaius roaring. Ripping the sword back out, he leaned his head away from the sudden spray of black blood. He prepared to bring his sword up again when Gaius whipped its head forward. By a sheer act of god (at least Lin thought so) he hung on and was able to bring the sword down again, another spray of blood announcing a deep hit. Without a moment to waste, he struck a third time and the glowing marker disappeared.

"To the stomach…" Lin daringly let go of Gaius and ran to its shoulders, looking down. He would be able to climb down only so far before a ring of armor stopped him- another ring, around the bottom half was his target. Sheathing the sword, he ran and leapt down off the back, feeling the fur brush against his body, Lin caught the top armor with a painful jolt, dropping to the bottom ring. Resting his arms, he was surprised at how NARROW the waist of the creature was. Though the shoulders were as wide as a stage, the waist was pencil-thin in comparison. It was covered in downy, gray fur, looking to be the most delicate feature of the angry giant.

Lin slowly moved around the armor until he came across the glowing marker- he took ahold of the stomach fur in one hand, drawing the sword with the other. Drawing the blade quickly, blood running around the curves of his nose, Lin struck. The creature wailed and twisted, trying to ease the pain, unable to do anything to shake Lin free. He relentlessly stabbed, black blood spurting out in all sorts of directions, until the stomach had been torn wide open.

Gaius groaned, stepping back slightly. Slowly it began to fall, catching itself on its sword, but it slid down when the rest of the bulk started falling. It heavily slammed into the earth, stomach-down, pinning Lin directly underneath in the bloody, smelly, hot little pocket of air and earth. Coughing out his own blood mixed with Gaius's, he let out a yell when black tendrils drove down into him. Pain surged through every nerve until, mercifully, darkness swallowed him whole.


	6. Tödliche Schönheit

_In Wake_

_V: Tödliche Schönheit_

_The child entered the world breathless, not a single cry rising from the infant's body. However the mother begged God to allow her new daughter to live, the girl fell still. Her face had become the color of thick frost, and was as limp as a doll made of old rags. The girl's life had ended only after a single minute, thus giving her the name 'Mono'._

_It was decided to give a proper burial to this child since it was the young mother's first, a customary ritual. Any that would come after were said to be the same, dead child that came first, and would not receive a proper burial. So the tearful young woman allowed the young Lord Emon to take the infant, and the village followed to the burial grounds._

_Wooden stakes rose from the earth, some higher than the others, each with colored ribbons tied around them. The higher the stake, the more important the figure buried there was- the younger the lost life, the brighter the ribbons were. Mono was given a very short stake that rose barely twelve inches from the earth, the small grave prepared to take her._

_But as Emon lay the child down and prayed for her soul to be safe among God, a raven landed on the end of the stake. Ravens were known for robbing graves that were too shallow or uncovered, considered a bad omen. All watched in silence as the bird hopped into the grave and began picking at the dark shroud the dead girl was wrapped within. It pulled the cloth free of her face, and then let out a sharp cry._

_Everyone lost their breath as a response came from the infant, who began her own crying. Lord Emon immediately took the child up into his arms, who now stirred and yelled, filled with life. The raven took off, leaving naught but a feather._

Three shadows stared in silence when Lin let out a yelp on the floor, his insides in horrible knots. It felt as if everything was moving in and out of place, wrenching with pain. He barely noticed the vibrations through the floor as the third statue lit up, and then imploded. The pain melted away, and Lin let out a sigh. He slowly remembered the bleeding wound on his head- he threw his hand there and found a patch of scar tissue.

"The cut is gone…" He relaxed a little, sprawled on the floor. He turned his head as the floor began to vibrate, another idol lighting up- with a loud boom, it crumbled into dust. He slowly righted himself, staring up at the light.

**_Thy next foe is… _**The female voice seemed to be leading the others this time around, **_In the land of the vast green fields… Rows of guiding graves… It is giant indeed, but fearful, it is not._**

"Wait, my lord," Lin called as the voices began to wane.

_**Yes? Do thou have a question for Us?**_

"I… well…"

**_If thy mind is uncertain, the path will fade from view. Thou said nothing mattered in comparison to the maiden's soul, didn't thou? _**The breeze swept through the hall lightly, feeling soothing. **_Ask not which will cloud thy mind, for thine task shall only be done when the mind is free of worry and doubt… Do thou still wish to ask thine question?_**

"N…no, my lord." Lin looked to his feet.

_**Thou hast no time to become depressed… the colossi do not wait, and her soul strays farther the longer thou lingers…**_

The voices faded along with Lin's sigh. He glanced at the altar- three white doves now graced Mono's presence. He slowly walked up to the girl, causing the birds to take off in a flurry.

"Your birds still wait for you, Mono." He spoke quietly. "I'm going as fast as I can… please come back to me soon…"

Agro let out a whinny, catching Lin's attention. The young man walked over, giving the customary pat or two owed to the fine steed. He laughed a little when Agro turned his head, and began nibbling at the cloth on Lin's shoulders. "I'm probably not very tasty- we'll have to let you get a good lunch, huh?"

Lin's stomach growled. "Well, and something for me, it seems."

The pair walked out into the grass, Lin casually raising the Ancient Sword, the light concentrating directly east. It looked like, from here, it led directly to a dark ravine which seemed to hold little promise of providing much in the way of food for the young warrior. He hadn't brought any extra food with him, just enough to make the travel directly to the sanctuary. It really wasn't a surprise he wasn't expecting such a roundabout trip… but still, he should have known better.

"We'll have to see if we find anything on the way…" He mounted Agro, spurring the horse. They traveled east, over the dry fields, coming up to the ravine and charging through. A glint of movement made Lin abruptly stop Agro. He scrambled off the horse, then went drew his sword, following the shining creature- one of those large salamanders. He managed to cleave it directly in half, finding them to be hardly anything but skin and bones.

"That's no good…" He then looked at the tail, then carefully sliced it away at the base, and picked it up. Lin slowly took a bite and found, though a bit tough, it wasn't half bad, even raw. Finishing the makeshift meal, he returned to Agro and the two started down the ravine.

Eventually the trail began to twist and head up- they rapidly scaled it, being swallowed by the mountains that towered around them. Mist rolled past as Agro thundered across the cold rock. Passing through a tunnel, the travelers found themselves among bright green fields.

Lin eased Agro to a halt, and then slid off onto the soft, vibrant grass. A few trees rustled in the wind, near a manmade hill. A tunnel led into it, and Lin realized these were bunkers of some sort. He slowly walked up to them and stared within the doorway.

The stairs led sharply down into a very dark tunnel. Further on around him were more entrances. Were these those 'graves' Dormin had mentioned? The thought of, perhaps, men slain during some great battle waning away into dust came to Lin's mind. He shuddered. With a moment to clear the images from his mind, he began up the manmade hill on foot.

Agro quickly caught up, following slowly behind him. The hollow sound each step made was a little unnerving- how steady were these things? They followed the bunkers to another set further on- resting behind them, on its knees, was the colossus.

It remained perfectly still as Lin began approaching. He kept Agro's reins held as he approached the stone beast, staring at it. Then, without warning, it animated.

Phaedra slowly hoisted its head into the air, two elegant stone braids dangling from either side of the face. It put a long, needle-like leg out, pushing the rest of the legs upright. It towered above the two, the stony gaze locked on the small figures. It made a loud sound- Lin could barely classify it, almost a trilling wail. But when it stepped forth and drove a claw near Agro, the horse panicked and turned around at high speed. Lin was jerked with, his arm caught up in the reins, being dragged across the grass. The large beast began following at a fair pace.

"Agro, stop!" Lin fought the reins, and got his arm loose, skidding to a halt as Agro continued for the far edge of the fields. Phaedra's deafening footsteps came closer, so Lin looked for the nearest bunker- he scrambled up and nearly dove into the doorway.

The bunker was soon rocked with the huge footsteps, dust cascading down as the colossus wailed. When it came just to the entrance, it reared up and came down, in an attempt to smash Lin.

On the other hand, Lin was instantly running down the length of the tunnel, coming to a halt in the middle. Breathless, he felt the tremors of each step Phaedra took. When it fell directly above Lin, he retreated for the entrance he had took and peered out.

Phaedra was wandering to the other side of the bunker to see if Lin was planning on coming out that end, waiting patiently. That's when Lin noticed a notched tailbone that led up onto the furry, high-ridged back of the beast. The end of the ribs were literally sticking out of the stomach area and the spinal cord was visible, but it would be a clear run up to the head- Lin assumed that the weak point was probably on the otherwise inaccessible head. He carefully ran up behind Phaedra, staring at the tailbone. If only it weren't so high up!

But Phaedra proved impatient- it began bending down to crane its neck and look into the bunker. When the tailbone lowered far enough, Lin leapt up and climbed up the bony surface. He grasped the fur above the bone and began his climb. Phaedra stood up again, feeling the man climb.

Lin let go of the fur and began running across the back, and he fell over when the beast began shaking violently. He caught himself quickly on one of the spinal discs, and slowly continued to crawl across the massive back. The beast would have been large enough to pull a castle off its foundations! Nearing the neck, Lin noticed a cut letting black mist billow out of Phaedra's neck. Drawing the sword, the little crack glowed lightly, and a huge marker appeared on the high head- too bad the neck was solid, smooth stone. Without hesitation, Lin drove his blade into the crack.

Phaedra swiftly dropped its head, the muscles going slack. Lin pulled the sword free and ran across the stony neck, coming to a dead halt on the flat, furry head. It rose its head up once more and began to shake it violently.

Lin lost his balance and rolled off the edge- with expert reflexes he caught himself on the edge, and hoisted himself up when Phaedra calmed. Though it wasn't flailing now, Lin still had problems keeping his balance as it stepped so heavily, causing its entire body to heave. When he had two seconds to become steady, Lin pulled the sword high and drove it down sharply. Phaedra screeched and began whipping its head, blood gore spraying through the air like rain. Covered in the spatter, Lin spit out the blood as he hung on for dear life. When Phaedra tired, Lin attacked, and it started whipping its head so violently its braids smacked against its neck. Finding no opening, Lin let go and was tossed upward. The creature put its head steady as he began falling- he pointed the sword straight down and landed, pushing all his weight on it. It nearly disappeared within the beasts brains.

Phaedra let out a chortling, agonized wail, stumbling over its front legs, slowly losing its balance. The elegant creature swiftly fell to its knees, the head limply falling through the air shortly afterwards. It hit the ground with such impact Lin was knocked free with a handful of fur, landing on his rear end. The great wound continued to spray gore for a minute more, finally trickling to a halt. Lin was nearly paralyzed since he had landed so hard on his own tailbone- he couldn't even sit up as the black tendrils appeared, and closed his eyes just before they hit.

_The people were amazed- was the revival a miracle of some sort? Lord Emon gave the fussing child to her mother, who was thanking God ten-thousand times over. The man who had originally dug the grave slowly approached Emon._

_"Shall we fill it?"_

_"Don't touch the area at all… it has been touched by God."_

_That was why, when Mono had become a young child, the grave still stood empty, the ribbons rustling in the wind. She seemed to retreat there whenever she would want to be alone, where Lin always found her standing just at the edge of the hole with her eyes closed, locked in thought. He always insisted she was incredibly lucky to have narrowly missed her own death… but he didn't realize what it would come to mean much later…_


	7. See des Nebels

_In Wake_

_VI: See des Nebels_

_"We'll leave together- you can't possibly stay here!"_

_"No." She spoke firmly, still facing away._

_"But… they'll… you'll **die**!"_

_"**Don't be stupid, Lin**!" Mono trembled, "If we do that and they find us, they'll kill you too!"_

_"It doesn't matter!"_

_"It does to me!" She sobbed. "I love you too much for that…"_

Four dark shadows stared down in silence. Vibrations rolled through the sanctuary as the tall, proud looking idol glowed brightly and then collapsed. Lin slowly reanimated, wincing, his internal organs in a veritable knot. His pains were eased when he became distracted by the sound of hooves.

Agro slowly walked up the gentle stairs to the altar, prompting Lin to rise and slowly follow. The horse seemed to gaze upon the lifeless woman- Lin joined him, resting a hand on the horse's muzzle. After a moment of connected silence, the haunting whispers that arose before the main voice echoed around. Lin turned himself slightly, looking up at the light.

**_Thy next foe is… Avion… It casts a colossal shadow across a misty lake as it soars through the sky… to reach it is no easy task…_**

****The voices melted away, the only sound that of the chirps of the doves behind the altar. As Lin began moving, all four flew out the open window, leaving behind feathers.

The path was due east, and Lin was riding Agro hard within seconds of discovering the way. They followed the high, canyon walls, running across damp grass as the sky grew cloudy above. Though it felt as if each colossi took a whole day to defeat, it only seemed to be late morning… how was time distorted so in Lin's mind? He knew that something was seriously wrong with his body, thanks to those lovely tendrils that came pouring from the colossus' corpses. But now wasn't the time to worry- he had much more to worry about.

Soon they were riding a curvy, narrow path hugging the canyon wall. It led to higher plains, covered in fine mist. Agro powered through a wide opening in the upper canyons, and was quickly brought to a halt as he entered a thickly misted shore. On the very edge of the water rose a high building made of grey stone, perhaps once a church or shrine. Bent and twisted iron fence still clung to the edges, a high wall cutting the shore from the rest of the lake. The tower had slowly sunk due to age, and was surrounded by water just deep enough for swimming. Lin dismounted Agro, and gave the horse a pet before running to the water and sloshing forward. The silt at the bottom was thick and swirled in large clouds until he began swimming. Coming up to the sheer rock face of the building, he dove under and found a sizeable gap to swim through. He came up on the other side, facing a high wall with raised notches.

Climbing out of the water, he scaled the wall, rising up to an arch that opened to an old balcony. The rock here had crumbled in a corner, the iron fence still standing wearily. The lake before him was dotted with sunken buildings, all in a state of ruin. As he stepped forward, the sound of massive wings drowned out all other noise.

From behind the tower upon which he was standing, a colossal bird flew. It let out a shriek as it made a wide circle over the lake, the reflection rippling across the water's surface. With the greatest ease and grace, it came to a slow halt in the air, landing upon a high pillar. Avion gazed about the lake in perfect silence, the long tail hanging freely beside the column.

"God almighty…" Lin gazed up at the creature, "I need your grace in this venture…"

He walked to the gap in the corner of the balcony and jumped, falling through the air and landing in the water with a sizeable splash which made Avion gaze his way. Rising for a breath, Lin swam for the nearest building, finding old platforms to be barely peeking from the water. Upon reaching one, he hoisted himself up and gazed at the creature as lazy waves lapped at his feet.

Avion stared back in silence. An almost regrettable feeling seemed to float between the two, like unwilling warriors gazing at their foes. But even as Lin moved a little, the bird refused to move.

"Well… if I can't come to you…" Lin took the bow off his shoulder, pulling an arrow from his quiver and aiming it at the bird's head. "You might prefer to come to me."

He let the arrow fly as the bird remained still- it lodged into its head and the creature let out a shriek, diving off the column. It gracefully swept down, pointing its talons at the young man who fumbled his bow over his shoulder. Drawing close, it suddenly raked the stone platform with its claws and rose skyward, with a hitchhiker.

Lin was admittedly scared as he clung to thick fur on the edge of the wing. Shaking off the shock, he began climbing, pushed by the wind that whipped around the wings. Avion shrieked and began flapping rapidly in order to dislodge the tiny creature, who was able to hang on with one hand. When Avion had to rest its wings to make a turn, Lin crawled onto the top. He drew the sword and was abruptly whipped around, facing the same way as the colossus, as the high winds pushed him. Grasping the fur as tightly as he could with his hands while still keeping a grip on the sword, he looked around frantically for a weak spot.

A very faint glowing spot on its wing tip caught Lin's eye. He climbed that way until forced to a halt as Avion tipped its wings vertical, rounding a turn. As it became even again, Lin let go and ran to the wingtip- there was a gap of bare flesh in between, thus making this a gamble. Catching the fur just as Avion began flapping again, Lin waited for a chance and then stabbed at the mark.

Avion screeched and suddenly went into a barrel roll- Lin slipped from the fur with a yell, tumbling through the air as the bird righted itself. Lin hit the water with a large splash, limply sinking.

His skin was aflame with the slap from the water's surface. Bubbles rose from his mouth as he slowly sank, barely holding onto the sword.

**_It has already cast thee down? _**A taunting laugh rolled through the water. **_Shalt thy let the beast stand between thee and thy love?_**

****Lin suddenly let out a puff of air, turning himself and swiftly rising to the surface. Panting and gasping for air, he saw the bird making graceful curves over the lake. Looking around, he began swimming to a platform close by, hoisting himself up. He took his bow from his shoulder, and aimed it up at the bird as it flew, slightly tilting his head as he pulled an arrow ready. After Avion swept past a building, Lin let the arrow fly.

It met its target straight in the eye, sending the bird into a fury. It rapidly curled around another corner and then came shooting down at the man. He leapt and caught onto the fur as it raked the platform and the water's surface. Waiting until the bird went still, he crawled onto the back of the wings and ran to the tip he had struck before.

He drove the sword deep into the wing, so far down the very tip went the entire way through. Avion screeched and again went into a barrel roll, Lin clinging on. For a moment he found himself completely dangling until it eased out of the aerobatic feat, pulling the blade free and finding the marker completely gone. When Avion was steady, he ran to the other wing and attacked. It relentlessly rolled again, Lin rapidly tiring, clinging on with all of his strength. When the bird relaxed, Lin crawled to the back of the head and clung onto a piece of protruding bone, resting.

It was then he realized exactly how fast the creature was going- orange sparks flew from the rocky sides of the wings. The scenery whipped past, the air pressure so high it nearly pushed Lin onto his face. When ready, he suddenly took off straight down the tail, walking the wavering appendage.

A large marker appeared at the end, which was surrounded by wonderfully carved rock. Latching onto the fur above it, Lin stabbed at the marker, causing Avion to screech. But the bird was so tired from its wings being attacked it was only able to round the corner, not even threatening to roll. Lin continued to stab as black blood streamed out from behind the bird like a cloud. He delivered a final hit and the bird let out a scream.

It slowly began descending, and then merely started falling. Lin let go of the tail and was thrown through the air into the water as Avion crashed headfirst into the deep. It rapidly disappeared into the dark waters, all going still.

Lin gasped and began swimming for the place he had entered from, listening to the sound of waves rolling around him. All was still and calm as he continued. When he came halfway to the tower, he was suddenly pierced.

With a gagging cough, he slipped under the water as the tendrils ran through him. He went limp, floating lifelessly in the water as black ooze came out of his mouth in a thick cloud.


	8. Alter Riese

_In Wake_

_VII: Alter Riese_

Five figures encircled the figure that lay upon the cold floors. Vibrations rolled through the stonework, until ending in a cacophonic explosion. Lin abruptly awoke, coughing out water that was tinged black. It settled on the floor and evaporated quickly, black mist rising and disappearing quickly. He struggled to his feet, still feeling fluid in his lungs.

**_Thy next foe is… _**Dormin's unsympathetic voice rolled about the walls, **_A giant lurks underneath the temple. It lusts for destruction, but a fool, it is not. Barba…_**

Lin gazed up until he began coughing again, resting the side of his hand over his mouth. As his eye fell upon his hand, he drew it out and looked at it closer. The black water rolled off, leaving a darkened scar on his skin. The back of his hands now had slight markings as well.

He gazed at Mono's body for a second, and then turned and headed down the great hall, ignoring the sounds of Agro's approaching. He walked into the spiral hall, staring at the dark reflecting pond.

The reflection that stared back at him had brown hair, and grayish-blue eyes. The clothes on the warrior had started to become tattered and dirty, and a few sickly gray scars ran up his neck. As Agro approached, Lin slowly rested a hand on the horse's muzzle while still staring at his reflection. What was happening to him?

After a final cough, he absent-mindedly washed his hand off in the pool, and then turned and began leading Agro outside. The black drop he left behind slowly swirled around the reflecting pond until it was swallowed up in the clean water…

"Hyah!"

Agro reared with a whinny, and then shot off, facing southwest. He tore across the dry grass, dust and such being left behind. The sky was still cloudy, and the air felt thick with impending rain. The breeze was low, refreshingly cool on Lin's burning skin. As they thundered across the landscape, Lin opted to follow a high ridge with trees growing at the top. As they followed its curve, a thickly wooded area swallowed them.

Agro was nimble at weaving through the trees, leaving Lin to occasionally duck while avoiding low branches. The leaves crackled and crinkled as Agro wound about trees. The canopy whispered with the breeze, oddly, the sole witness to the travelers. There was no wildlife here, not even a single squirrel, and seemed very empty. It would have felt dead if it weren't for the trees and the gurgle of a small stream Agro charged through. Lin leaned to the side, prompting Agro to turn out of the woods into another plain.

Lin allowed Agro to come to a slow stop, drawing the Ancient Sword and putting it up to the sunlight. It made a direct point across the fields to the face of ruins carved out of the mountain wall. With only one sharp kick, Agro was off again, slowly moving to full speed. The horse came to a halt near the rock face, allowing Lin to dismount.

As the man gazed up at the temple built into the mountain, a small, brazen creature paraded onto his toes. He looked down, and with a laugh, kicked the tortoise's shell lightly, causing the creature to retreat within. Really, he KNEW better than to mess with the wildlife, but he always played with the turtles and tortoises at home as a child.

_"Put mister turtle down!" Mono shouted at Lin who had retreated to the opposite side of the pond._

_"Alright, I'll put him down. Think he skips across water?" Lin laughed, staring at the head of the poor critter which was pulled into the shell._

_"Don't you dare!"_

_"I'm not going to." He put the creature on his head like a hat. "I'm not hurting it anyhow."_

_"But it isn't happy there…"_

_"How do you know?"_

_"I just do, now put him back in his pond!"_

_He took the creature off his head, and then promptly dropped it into the pond with a 'splunk'. He laughed for a minute until gazing back at Mono, who was still wearing a frown. "What? I put him back."_

_"You shouldn't be mean to the turtles… they'll take your fingers off, you know!"_

Lin laughed at this (since it almost, well, did happen, his poor pinky) while walking down a staircase that led into the very earth below the carved temple. Agro was content to nibble at the grass, ignoring the tortoises around him. Lin climbed over a collapsed pillar and then entered the narrow hall that led down.

He had to climb over several fallen stones before continuing much further. Down another short flight of stairs, he walked out onto a balcony of sorts. An old arch awaited him, broken at the top. Before him, the ceiling was supported by larger arches, some suffering only slightly from age. He walked to the very edge and abruptly leaned back to avoid from falling. There was NO staircase!

"You've got to be kidding me!" He knelt down and looked at the floor very far below. Such a fall would do serious damage were he to simply leap. But then he noticed there were rows and rows of notches carved into the wall. Turning, he began climbing down carefully.

As he came down, he swore he heard breathing, but couldn't find a source. Hopping to the floor, he walked a short distance away when the wall shifted. He turned and faced it as it started to rumble, dust pouring out from the top. It then began sliding down, the heavy breathing becoming louder. Slowly the furry face of a giant came from the dust, blue eyes glowing in the dim temple. Lin turned on his heels and began running the opposite way when it charged MUCH faster than he had expected.

Greeted by a wall, Lin hurriedly hoisted himself over, leaping off just as Barba came smashing through without restraint, bits of stone flying all over. Lin scrambled forward and met yet ANOTHER wall, climbing up in a fury. Just as he leapt, Barba followed, sweeping away the wall with a fist. As it closed in on Lin, the warrior began zigzagging about trying to decide where exactly he should climb. Just as he leapt up, Barba smashed through, dislodging the rock Lin had grabbed ahold of. The pile came to an abrupt halt before a small area under arched doorways, a leg sticking out of it.

Lin winced, covered in the jagged stone. He struggled to move as he felt the footsteps rumble through the floor, coming closer.

"I'm not letting a god forsaken wall stop me!" He grit his teeth and focused on his right arm, intending to slide the rock away from it. With a yell, the rock was suddenly tossed aside. The black scars began to appear at his collar line…

Barba came up to the pile as the rocks began shifting and falling away, Lin emerging. The bearded giant raised its fist up high, and then slammed it down just behind Lin who was tossed, headfirst, into the niche behind the columns. He came to a halt by hitting his head on the rock, slowly sliding to his knees.

Barba, on the other hand, raised its fist, knowing it had missed his target. But where had the little pest gone? It slowly began walking the length of the niche, gazing around. Lin on the other hand rested on his back, trying to force the pain out of his skull. When he opened his eyes, he found Barba was peering down into the doorway to find Lin. The warrior swiftly began scooting himself with his feet, headfirst at the giant, whose beard touched the floor. Directly below it, Lin grabbed hold tightly and was raised into the air.

Barba shook its head, but Lin began his climb onto the broad shoulders. Small spikes stuck out on its back, looking like exposed, black bone bits. He moved to one and took hold of it and quickly drew the Ancient Sword.

A large glowing patch appeared on the creature's crown. Lin took a gamble and entirely let go of the bone, running onto the head and quickly getting a grab. Then, without warning, Barba began whipping its head EXTREMELY violently, Lin being tossed about while only being able to hold on with one hand. There was a loud snap and Lin fell off with a yell, hitting the ground. Tears rolled from his eyes as he drew his left wrist close, gasping with pain as he doubled up.

Barba turned and faced him, moving close. The fist rose up sharply. It dropped, and Lin narrowly avoided it by rolling out of the way and then crawling into the niche. He cradled his broken wrist, still wincing violently.

**_What? Thou art stopping now? Disappointing mortal, this is why thy kind art not meant to live forever. The further thou waits, the further the maiden drifts…_**

****Lin grit his teeth and pulled his blue headband off. It was made of fabric, a worn piece of cloth making it into a loop-shape that easily snuggled his head. Ignoring the fact his bangs swept down into his eyes, he quickly wrapped it around his broken wrist, looping it several times until it was a very tight brace. He lightly moved his hand which still caused a large amount of pain, but it would do for the moment. Moving his right hand to his lips, he let out a sharp whistle that commanded Barba's attention, who turned and stuck his head down in order to find Lin. Lin ran out and leapt up onto the beard, holding on with his right hand. When Barba rose, Lin hurried onto the shoulders and readied the sword- he was forced, however, to put it in his left hand which felt unnatural. When Barba lowered his head in order to shake his shoulders, Lin let out a yell, taking the sword with both hands, then ran and jump up on the base of the next. Just as Barba moved its head up, Lin came plunging down sword-first, the weapon disappearing up to the hilt.

Barba roared and whipped its head, but couldn't dislodge the sword or warrior. It had to steady itself, allowing Lin to rip the blade out, a huge, cascading spray of black blood shooting out all over the place. Lin slid to the shoulders and held onto a spike, panting and wincing. Below him, the second marker glowed, on the left deltoid.

Slowly Lin scooted across the fur until reaching the drop-off point of the creature's back. He pushed himself off and caught on the area with his right hand, dangling precariously. Drawing the sword weakly with his left hand, he thrust it forward but barely pierced the creature's skin. Lin groaned a bit, and then drew the sword out further, ignoring the burning pain in his wrist. He forced it into the back.

Barba shook again, rapidly becoming dizzy. Lin, wearily, hung on with one hand until Barba came to a halt. Lethargically the blade was readied and thrust in, the two repeating the exact same process as before. The last time, Lin was ready to collapse from sheer pain. With a burst of determination he drew the sword and leaned all his weight on it as he stabbed.

Barba stumbled backward, tripping over a few stones and collapsing quickly onto its side, its mass being swallowed in black. Lin barely pried the sword loose as tendrils rose from the head, shooting into his body. His eyes rolled into his head as he fell off backwards, hitting his head against the floor, the Ancient Sword resting beside him.


	9. Elektrische Schlange

_In Wake_

_VIII: Elektrische Schlange_

Lin awoke to the thunderous sound of the colossus's idol representation smashing to bits. Pain shot through his body, melting away as the great hall fell into silence. He struggled to his feet, picking up the Ancient Sword that lay on the floor. Instinctively, he turned his head up to the light.

**_Thy next foe is… _**Dormin's voice rumbled deeply, **_A ruin hidden in the lake… A ripple of thunder lurks underwater… Hydrus…_**

Lin hurried outside into the afternoon sun. He looked around, finding himself alone. The haunting feeling of total isolation crept into his heart… He raised two fingers to his lips and produced a sharp whistle.

From the side of the sanctuary came a loud whinny, Agro charging around the stone structure. When he came straight at Lin, the young man didn't move; Agro simply and literally came skidding to a halt, letting out a hot puff of air.

"There you are, old friend…" He moved to the right side of the steed and gratefully patted Agro's muzzle. "I was worried you'd be gone!"

Lin took only a minute more to pet the horse before moving away a few steps. He drew the Ancient Sword and raised it into the warm breeze. The beams slowly gathered together as he turned, facing northwest. He carefully slid the blade back into its sheath before mounting the horse and taking off.

They took a bridge over the deep gorge, passing by the walkway that led down to Quadratus's cove. Lin chanced a glance over the edge and barely caught a glimpse of the massive corpse as Agro ran past the path down and onto the dry fields.

Bringing his attention back to the trail, Lin used the high canyon wall as a guide. Soon horse and rider were between sheer walls of mountain stone, cold air trapped between them. The fog grew thicker as they approached the large, dead lake.

Lin casually looked up at the huge platform that rose from the waters, another massive corpse lying atop the structure. He quickly looked back in order to help Agro navigate the thick fog. They followed the mucky shoreline until coming to another opening in the canyon.

Agro took a sharp turn left out of the canyon and was abruptly called to a halt. Lin raised his blade for only a moment to check directions. A distance away lay tall columns of white, many broken in age. Agro broke into a steady gallop until coming across the objects, allowing Lin to dismount.

A long, short wall of rock blocked the path ahead. The only way through was a tall archway, remarkably well-preserved. Leaving his horse behind, Lin slowly walked through the archway and down a small stone bridge.

The end of the bridge had broken off at some point. At the end was a tall tower rising out of the water, a spiral path curling around the outside. Lin easily leapt to the structure and climbed the curling trail to the very top.

The gray lake before him was dotted with old pillars. The water was translucent, a fair amount of particles mixed within it, giving a cloudy view into the depths. There was a huge black mass at the very bottom, but the shape was obscured. Was that the next colossus?

The only way for Lin to go was down- so he gracefully dove into the water, rapidly rising for a breath. Something in the water moved, and the black mass began to rise.

Long, streaming brown whiskers gracefully spread out around the massive stone face of the beast. The sleek, algae-covered body straightened as the nose slowly headed for the surface. Four fins, in the place of limbs on a land-dwelling creature, moved like curtains to propel the creature up. A wide, paddle shaped tail added further boost and controlled direction. As it began to reach the surface, three dots of light appeared on its back.

Hydrus broke through the water with a spray, effortlessly slipping back down into the depths. Lin continued to tread water, watching it dive back into the inky depths, getting a full scale of the creature. It was twice the width of the boundaries of his village, no short distance indeed, and as wide as four buildings, though very flat otherwise. There was a sharp crackle that startled Lin- a large spike rose out of the water, glowing. As it touched the water once more, a burst of electricity buzzed and popped until the spike was completely submerged once more. Hydrus simply drifted away from Lin, as if the display were warning enough.

Determined not to let the creature out of his sights, Lin took a breath and dove underwater. He began swimming at the creature, focusing on the head. The creature's huge, unblinking eyes glowed ominously as its gaze became fixed on the man. It let out a low moan before it began surfacing once more.

Lin returned to the surface and waited patiently as Hydrus came slowly at him. The spike just behind the head glowed brightly (as if it were in anticipation) and Lin carefully swam out of its way just as it broke through into the air. The body curled around Lin in order to hit him with the next two spikes. After waiting for the third to pass him by, Lin began swimming away from the creature as the huge tail began to rise. Just as it broke the water he was caught up upon it- he quickly grabbed a hold of the thick plant growth lining its back as it dove back underwater.

Underwater, it was much faster, tearing through the water like a knife through butter. Lin was pulled on a variable roller coaster ride as it waved the tail up and down swiftly. Hydrus broke the surface, the tail quickly rising out of the water. With a second to spare, Lin ran down the back of the creature and clung to the plants further along the body just as it dove back down.

He let out a gasp when it surfaced next- Lin could barely see a thing as his wet hair was hanging over his face. As he took off for the first spike, he mindlessly pulled his cloth headband off from around his wrist. It was no longer painful, nor injured of any sort as he fumbled the wrap quickly over his head. Kneeling quickly, he was pulled through the water once more before being able to run to the base of the spike.

As he drew the sword from its scabbard, a small glowing spot appeared at the base of the protrusion. Lin drew the weapon up and stabbed at the marker, causing Hydrus to shudder as the spine stopped glowing. He clung tightly as it dove underwater, writhing, the spike totally unarmed.

Patience was the key- soon Hydrus surfaced again and Lin took the long trek to the next spike, disabling it. This time Hydrus moaned in response and took a sharp dive, the surface rapidly disappearing behind it as Lin clung on. It sunk further down, Lin rapidly needing a breath of air. When it showed no signs of rising, Lin let go and fought his way to the air above.

With a sharp gasp, he whipped his head around in order to focus on Hydrus who began a slow curve, positioning itself to face Lin. It still had the spike on the back of the neck, crackling as it touched the surface. Lin dodged it carefully, and then began swimming away from the creature once more and caught the plants upon its back.

He was whipped around as Hydrus swam through the water. When it broke the surface, Lin began traveling to the spike before its head. Upon reaching it, he stabbed the weak spot before it and it deactivated, giving safe passage to its head. Lin charged forward and grabbed a handful of algae covered fur on the back of the skull, a huge glowing symbol appearing under his knees. He drew the Ancient Sword up and plunged it into the skull. Ripping it out, he turned his head away from the thick spray of black blood.

He stabbed once more before Hydrus dove underwater, the blood streaming behind it like a cloud. It rapidly surfaced in an effort to tear the man loose. When he was steady, he provided two more strong blows, the creature wailing. It weakly dove up and out of the water repeatedly, not allowing Lin time to prepare a strong blow.

"_Damn stubborn beast!_" Lin spat out a mouthful of dirtied water, and managed to get a hit in- Hydrus moaned painfully and began to mindlessly drift ahead. Lin let go at the body began sinking to the bottom, the colossus turning belly-up as it began to slide into the depths. Though tired, Lin began to swim for the spiral back to the bridge.

Deep in the water, black tendrils rose up like a cloud from the skull of the colossi. They danced in the water as they raced after Lin, approaching in silence. When upon him, they dove into his back, causing him to yell in surprise, before he slowly lost his senses. His body floated limply in the murky, clouded water. All was swallowed in silence.


	10. Vergessenes Kolosseum

_In Wake_

_IX: Vergessenes Kolosseum_

_The black ravens sat high in the trees, crying and laughing at the field workers below. The entire crop had withered and there was very little yield. Everything had begun to dry out, as not even a drop of rain had fallen for a full cycle. What little there was, the ravens found first, continuing to laugh at the humans' misery._

_While the young woman sat beside the pond which was nearly empty, word began to jump from ear to ear. Whispers of a curse or a plague come to strike at the season for harvest in the form of no rain. The ravens, then, a symbol of this plague, were evidence enough for most people. Their memories fell on the infant in the grave, the raven beside her._

_It was, according to the townspeople, Mono's fault._

Seven shadows' gazes lingered down at Lin as the floor began to tremble. With a burst of power, the next idol became a pile of ruins. When all fell silent, Lin slowly staggered onto his knees.

As he rose to his feet, he didn't feel the pangs of pain. No, he was possessed with a strong calm as he gazed at the skylight. For a split second, the vision of a man floating in the gray waters came to his sight… it faded rapidly as the voice of Dormin came floating in the hall.

**_Thy next foe is… Kuromori… A tail trapped within a pail deep within the forest… a shadow that crawls on the walls…_**

****"A tail trapped… what?"

A faint laugh echoed around the hall. Lin felt a bit insulted but said not a word. He began walking for the altar, surrounded by seven doves that took off in a flurry. Lin rested his hands against the cold stone, gazing over Mono.

The soft breeze that rolled through the wide arches lining the wall behind the altar, making Mono's sleeves rustle lightly across her skin. Her hair also shifted, though never very far, as the dimmed light bathed her figure. Still… she only looked asleep… so perfect and calm. He moved to touch her arm lightly, feeling the cold. She did not stir.

Agro slowly came up the stairs into the hall, letting out an impatient neigh. Lin turned and walked to the horse, slowly leading him back down into the grass yet again. He drew the Ancient Sword and brought it up to the light. With the path revealed, he sheathed it and mounted Agro. They were off, heading southeast.

Across the field they entered the canyon, veering to the left when the path was intersected. Small lizards scurried up the rock face as Agro's hooves thundered past. The path broke into a grassy field totally surrounded by rock. As the path straight ahead led straight into the rock, Lin forced Agro to a harsh halt and had him slowly walk along the wall. Around the bend was a small dilapidated cave that the two slowly entered, coming across a narrow strip of land over a stream.

Lin gazed in awe as Agro began slowly walking across the path. To his left was a beautiful waterfall. The clear water cascaded down the rock, crashing into the river below with a roar. The mist at the bottom continuously curled like a living creature, the edges fading before it could get too far. The moisture suspended in the air was very relaxing as it settled upon both horse and rider, feeling cool and refreshing. Lin let his eyes fall closed, completely trusting in Agro as the horse navigated the narrow path, slowly taking in the energy of the water.

At the end of the path and through another opening was a very large cavern. Water had gathered at the edges of the path which the horse carefully avoided. At the end stood a worn, tall brown building with two wide windows and a main entrance. When Lin dismounted Agro and walked over, he was admittedly taken by the building and was anxious to see what was within. He climbed up the small rock lip before the door and slowly walked into a very open room.

He was standing at the head of massive stairs that led to a stone gate which was completely closed off. Two very tall torches stood to the sides of the room, with a raised, edged design curling completely around them. Fire crackled from the torches, which made Lin wonder: who was feeding the fires? Was this land truly abandoned? He dismissed the thought (as it was a bit creepy to consider) and scanned the room for a way over the gates.

The stone gates had a flat top. If he were able to jump to that… he glanced back at the torch to the left. Then, like the true explorer he was, he grasped the raised design and slowly shimmied his way to the rear of the structure. He launched himself off and caught the edge the gate, pulling himself up and jumping off the other side.

The hall ended in stairs. He walked down and eventually came into a curling hall, lined by wide open arches that overlooked the massive structure. It was a coliseum, with eight floors in total. Lin had never seen such a thing and was impressed by the sight. As he walked to a window, his eyes fell across a black and white creature filling most of the field below.

Kuromori made a bit of a hiss as its wide, flat tail swished across the ground. It was built very low to the earth, and the back was covered in plates. But between the plates, white light emitted. The lizard-like body seemed somewhat clumsy as it slowly meandered around.

"This shouldn't be so hard." Lin took his bow off his shoulder, readying an arrow. He aimed it straight at the beast's back and let the arrow fly. It took a matter of seconds for the object to lodge between two plates, the colossi hissing violently. Abruptly, and much to Lin's surprise, it charged at a wall and started straight _up_ at a remarkably high speed. Lin backed away as the walls and floors began to tremble as the creature came charging effortlessly up the side until it reached the windows, its rocky face staring in with a harsh glare.

Lin hesitated until it began to shake its head, gathering energy- it suddenly spit out three wads of poison at the walls. Lin had completely dodged them, drawing his sword. But the poison quickly evaporated into a noxious gas that crept into his lungs. With a sputtering cough, he threw an arm over his face as he blindly ran down the hall to get away from the creature. He tripped over a loose brick and landed beside a staircase. When Kuromori began charging, Lin got upright and, missing a step, rolled down the short flight and hitting his head against the wall.

When he gathered his senses, Lin felt the whole structure continue to vibrate, which indicated Kuromori was still on the walls. He rose and quickly began down the stairs, heading down several floors until he came to the courtyard. Above, Kuromori was slowly turning to locate Lin.

It was then Lin observed swollen, glowing glands on the creature's legs, above the mighty claws. He took his bow off his shoulder and quickly shot an arrow at one of the inflated legs.

Kuromori roared as it lost its grip with the front left leg, an arrow sticking out of the glowing flesh. Another arrow hit its left arm, and the creature entirely lost contact with the wall. Lin ran out of the way as Kuromori fell onto its back, becoming stunned. Lin merely tossed his bow to the entrance of the coliseum and pulled out his sword.

He leapt up onto the furry, warm black belly of the beast which heaved with breath. Lin could feel the monstrous heart beating under his feet as he approached a glowing patch. He drove the sword down, which pierced the skin but was slowed from reaching the heart due to a thick layer of bone. Kuromori writhed as Lin pulled the blade back out, blood spewing out like a geyser. Lin struck again, causing the bone to snap underneath, but he was forced to leap off as the colossus turned over. Without hesitance he ran for the entrance of the coliseum, picking his bow up on the way in.

When Kuromori was upright, it spat out wads of venom at the doorway, which began evaporating and rising up the stairwell. Two floors above, Lin was fighting gravity to reach the top, panting. Upon reaching the top, his legs felt completely numb and the warrior was forced to sit down a moment. Luckily the venom had dissipated completely by this time.

Though most colossi before it seemed drowned in rage, Kuromori was patent, crooking its head to pick up sound. It could _barely_ hear Lin's breathing. When a sharp whistle came from above (Lin even waved down to make himself visible) Kuromori hissed violently and charged up the wall. As it did, Lin sighed ("_Here we go again," _he huffed as he rolled his eyes) and started back down. He remained steady even as the whole stairwell trembled, finally coming out to the courtyard.

Kuromori was facing down just as Lin ran out, and spat out a wad of venom near the man who dodged. But as the colossal lizard began climbing down, an arrow lodged in its ankle. As it shook its foot, Lin took aim, even as his eyes began to water from the rising gas behind him. The arrow was let loose and it met its target, Kuromori crashing down a second time.

Without a moment to spare, Lin was back on the underbelly of the beast and was stabbing away at the area around the heart. He had tore the wound open so far he could finally see the gray organ itself- he drove the sword down into it as Kuromori seized up violently, the legs hanging in the air. Pulling the dirtied blade out, Lin slid off the creature as it relaxed, the massive legs crashing down onto the grass. The entire figure was swallowed in darkness, and dark tendrils rose up from the open wound. Lin took for the stairs once more, but the tendrils came from both up and down the stairs, piercing him. He collapsed on the stairs, black mist billowing from his mouth and nose.

_"The gods are angry… they want the girl back! That is why all this is happening!"_

_"Then… we will prepare to return her soul to Him. Please bring her here, my people…"_


	11. Gleiten in Unterordnung

_In Wake_

_X: Gleiten in Unterordnung_

Mono's body lay upon the hard stone altar. The brown skies outside poured rain as the breeze whipped violently through the great hall, her dress and hair being rustled. With a flash of lightning she moved a hand, pulling it close and then pushing herself up on that arm. She slowly opened her eyes, both a piercing black.

Lin woke up with a yell, cold sweat running down his skin as he lay upon the floor. He scrambled to his feet and hurried up to the altar, coming to an abrupt halt- Mono was lifeless. Her hand was still lying across her heart, the breeze caressing her hair and lightly rustling her sleeves. Lin slowly put his hand out and clasped it over her own, letting out a deep sigh when her skin was ice-cold. He drew his hand away, but then slowly touched the side of her face with the back of his hand, stroking her cheek lovingly.

He was more than halfway done… now if all would prove true…

**_Thy next foe is… _**Dormin's sudden voice made Lin twitch in surprise. The young man turned to face the light, and caught sight of yet another destroyed idol. **_The land where trees nary grow, it sleeps at the bottom of the lake… A rude awakening… Basaran…_**

Lin absent-mindedly nodded. He took a final moment to look at Mono, his hand resting near her arm. But then he compared his arm to hers… she was slate-white, while he had become… grimy. Black scars reached from his shoulders onto his upper arms, and gray scars were spread across the back of his hands. His hair was no longer anywhere close his natural ruby-brown, almost looking like a dark mud color. Every inch of his clothes was now stained and becoming tattered. He probably looked as it somebody dragged him through a bog three times over.

Lin left Mono's side and headed outside, finding Agro grazing nearby. It was late afternoon now, the sun barely beginning to set. If he was quick enough he figured he could take down the next colossus and then sleep for the night- besides, he was more than halfway done with the task. The warrior quickly drew the Ancient Sword and found the path, then mounted his steed and was off like lightning.

He was heading northwest, the same way many other colossi had been. They went across a narrow strip of land into badlands under the great bridge that led to the sanctuary. Soon, far across the horizon, Lin saw the target- a looming dark haze that rose slightly off the ground like a cloud. The badlands slowly smoothed out as they drew closer. When Agro entered the dark cloud, he came to an abrupt halt over a large gorge with a whinny. Lin directed the horse to turn, and then kept his eye on the drop off as his horse began walking alongside it. He soon saw a small clump of dead trees, between them a stone bridge across the gorge. After crossing, the horse began galloping quickly across the dark earth.

A blast of steam and boiling hot water shot into the air as they passed by a geyser. The earth was dotted with many more, which seemed to go off at random intervals. The sound of boiling water under the earth was unsettling as Lin rode across the field. More trees greeted him, all eerily bleached from the roots up. The air here stunk of sulfur, and Lin almost gave up finding anything alive until his horse ground to a halt before an alcove.

The earth trembled as massive feet came crashing down. From the darkness of the alcove, a rocky reptilian head peered, the blue eyes glowing. It came sluggishly out, but each footstep was so heavy the ground cracked under its weight. Wearing a huge shell made of stone, with a flat, narrow tail and the flattened head, Basaran was basically a colossal turtle. Lin's neck began aching as he looked up at the head of the creature which seemed to tower over everything, the bulky creature taller than the dead trees in the gorge. It let out a very low growl which reverberated through the ground, causing Agro to become nervous. When Basaran focused on the two small creatures, it opened its maw wide as the throat began to glow ominously. That was Lin's sign to get out of the way, so he let out a sharp yell and kicked Agro hard. The horse gladly shot off like an arrow, just at the creature spat out bursts of energy which exploded against the ground on contact. Agro nimbly dodged them, heading for one of the geysers. Lin took a moment to look back, and then all hell broke loose.

Another blast had hit just at the back of the horse's feet, the resounding explosion completely tossing the horse and rider up. Agro roughly landed on his side, and tried to hurry to his feet as the colossus began to draw near. After getting up, Agro shot off with a loud whinny, completely leaving Lin behind who was lying beside a geyser. Across his hands and knees he was bleeding, the skin tore away when he had slid across the sandy ground. As the footsteps came closer, he winced and slowly rolled onto his side. He managed to shakily rise to his feet just as Basaran paused to glare down at the man. The earth was still trembling under Lin's feet, and he started slowly backing away. Basaran moved over the geyser and rose up on its back legs in order to come crashing down. Lin ran out of the way just as the geyser suddenly spewed out a column of boiling water, completely knocking Basaran over. He smashed onto his side, and tried to get upright, its legs moving very awkwardly in the air. Then Lin noticed the soft flesh on the bottom of each foot.

He took up his bow and launched an arrow at a foot, which lodged into the delicate flesh, causing Basaran to roll completely over onto its back. Lin abruptly shouldered the bow and ran to beast, running up the tail onto the furry underbelly. He drew the Ancient Sword but no marker appeared… so he went to the edge of the shell and waited.

Basaran got its grip on the earth and slowly righted itself, not noticing the fact Lin clung on and crawled onto the back of the shell. Lin was near the tail, and before him was the high-ridged shell which was pretty much a straight path to the head. He began up the shell, noting that there was nothing to hang onto up here- that's when Basaran started shaking. Lin grabbed hold of a ridge and waited until the colossi calmed. The man carefully finished navigating to the top of the head, which was covered in a patch of dense gray fur, a glowing marker shining through it. Dropping to his sore knees and clinging on with one hand, Lin struck the beast which roared in pain. As it shook its head violently, Lin clung with all of his might. When another opening was made, he attacked yet again, the black blood spewing out like a fountain. Four more steady strikes and Basaran moaned, the knees buckling painfully. It tilted to one side, and crashed down into the dirt, a burst of hot steam rising up from the cracks. Lin coughed out the dust that rose with the impact, slowly hopping off the corpse. Soon, the body of Basaran was swallowed in pure black, and sinewy tendrils rose from the skull into the air. Lin only walked away in order to get rid from the heat, entirely expecting what came next- the tendrils shot through him, and he collapsed forward, a black fluid dribbling from his mouth and nose. His face met the earth and all went into sheer darkness.

_She was sitting beside him, and then across the pond, her figure wavering. Every where he looked, Mono was there. A strong sensation of joy and obsession took hold of every inch of his mind. He drowned in the feeling and thoughts, an endless corridor straight into the darkness which took him after each colossus…_


	12. Verschiebenwüste

_In Wake_

_XI: __Verschiebenwüste_

When Lin came to while lying across the stone floors, he was instantly seized by terrible pain. It welled up, starting at his stomach, and eventually spread to every limb. He barely made it to his knees before he began gagging, eventually coughing and vomiting out black fluid. When he was able to control himself again, he slowly sat upright, holding his stomach. The expected burst of energy and crash was heard behind him as one of the statues shattered into bits.

_**Thy next foe is… **_Dormin's whispery tones wrapped around Lin, almost like the pain that had took ahold of him… _**An isolated sand dune… Its tracks are well hidden… Shaking the earth, its gaze is upon thee… Dirge…**_

"What is happening to me?" Lin trembled, staring up at the light that poured through the hole in the roof, "You have to know what's going on… Am I dying, myself…?"

_**…doubting thy quest?**_

"…" Lin slowly looked at the floor, stained black, "No, Lord."

_**Thy task is daunting to both body and mind… **_The feminine voice spoke through the other whispers. _**But 'tis a small price to pay for a wish asked by thy heart, correct?**_

The voices completely faded away, Lin letting out a sigh. He slowly rose to his feet and looked around, trying to get his bearings. Argo was not in sight; Lin walked closer to the altar, spotting the horse outside, below, nibbling on the grass. Then his gaze fell down to Mono.

Some thoughts came to his head as he gently rubbed the back of her hand. First, he was wondering… how long was this entire quest taking him? As far as he knew, he could be passed out for days before heading out again. Even if that wasn't true… by sheer nature… Mono's body should have already been breaking down. Perhaps, he thought, Dormin's presence in the church was halting the process…

…but then he wondered, if bringing her back was –really- the right thing to do? Could she be happier where she was now? Instantly following the idea was a wave of anger and pain, causing Lin to slowly slide down to his knees and rest his head against the girl's side.

"I can't exist without you…" A few faint tears rolled down his face, "I'm sorry I ever thought I shouldn't… give me some more time, please…"

Argo looked up as Lin eventually came down the stairs, and quickly walked over to him. Lin grinned and stroked Agro's side as the horse tried to nibble at his clothes, despite how grimy they were. "Hey there, my friend. I'm glad to see you too. Let's get going, what do you say?"

He mounted Agro and pulled out the Ancient Sword, which still gleamed cleanly in the light. The points focused to the west; sheathing the weapon, he gave Argo a quick kick to the sides and was off. Flowing breezes felt refreshing against Lin's skin; but he found the path was leading him back to the field of geysers. They made their way to the miserable landscape, passing carefully. Lin did take a moment to glance back, and could see the body of the last Colossus lying completely still on the landscape, almost as if it were nothing more than a massive stone. Lin looked back ahead through the hot air, urging Agro on faster.

Their path took them to the mountains, which they curved around, the landscape breaking into a beautiful green field with a large body of water. Lin slowed Agro down, then slid off and walked the horse to the pond. "Let's take a bit of a break, this trip's pretty long."

Lin knelt down beside the water and took a handful, drinking it. Normally he would have made sure it was clear, but he was just happy to have anything. Taking another handful, he splashed his face, the cool water refreshing him. Figuring this was probably his only chance to get clean, he began pulling his dirty clothes off and tossing them onto the grass.

He waded out into the deeper water, pulling himself underneath. Raising back up with a gasp, he shook out his hair and laughed. Despite the fact it was rather cold, he couldn't have really asked for anything better at the moment. His horse looked at him as if he was completely mad.

"If you weren't so shy of water, I'd invite you to join me." Lin laughed, then lightly splashed in Agro's direction. Wanting nothing of it, the horse backed farther away. Supposing it was sort of mean to have done, Lin shouted, "Sorry!"

That's when he felt a fish brush by his legs. Lin looked down as it rushed off into the middle of the lake. Lin quickly picked up the Ancient Sword from the bank, and then walked out with it into the water again. "Well if this isn't perfect… Somebody could actually –live- right here!"

With patience and careful aim, he eventually speared a fish on the end of the sword. Lin marched back ashore with it, quickly pulling his clothes back on before looking about for things to make a fire with. There wasn't much, but he managed to find various bits of wood here and there until he had enough. Using the flint he always carried with him, he was soon on his way to cooking his catch and having a decent meal for once!

Finally, contentedly, Lin continued off with Agro. His energy felt completely renewed, and he was definitely ready for the next colossus. Their trip ended at the entrance to a cave, which had a few odd stones in the way. Carefully leading Agro over them, Lin took a minute to look around.

The massive cavern was silent, filled with yellow sand. A few dots of light came from holes above, and the wind echoed eerily through the area. Cautiously he stepped forward, keeping his eyes opened for movement. The sand began to stir in the center of the room, shifting from underneath. Almost as if a bomb had been set off, sand came exploding up and outwards as snake-like colossus burst out. Connecting once more with the sand, it suddenly came charging at Lin and Agro, its massive orange eyes glowing. With a gasp, Lin barely made it onto Argo and took off as Dirge followed. Agro ran as fast as he could, obviously in panic, as Lin fumbled to grab his bow and pull out an arrow. Even though the cavern wall was fast approaching, Lin shot off an arrow straight at the creature's eye.

It bellowed before seemingly 'tripping' over itself, spinning completely out of control. Lin and Agro dashed to the side as Dirge smashed against the cavern wall, shaking the room. It fell still, it's soft underbelly sticking up; seizing the chance, Lin leapt off of Argo and ran forward, drawing the sword.

In the dim light, the glowing sigil appeared on the belly; Lin raised up the sword then plunged it into the creature- with a shriek it righted itself, and Lin was knocked over as it disappeared back into the sand. It surfaced again a distance away, definitely eyeing the young man.

"Argo!" Lin leapt onto the horse as it came running, managing to get back upright and pull out another arrow. When Dirge came chasing after again, Lin let fly another arrow, hitting close to the original wound- again the snake lost control and smashed against the wall.

Lin leapt off to repeat the attack from before, but he thrust the sword down harder against the bleeding wound. The creature shrieked and attempted to roll upright, but Lin began literally tearing the wound apart with the sword. Every ounce of his being was focused into killing the monster, which shrieked as Lin was covered in the grey blood that poured out. When the creature finally went still, Lin was still hacking away at it, completely encompassed by rage. Argo stayed far away, watching nervously as Lin hacked and slashed until he was unable to lift the sword anymore. Panting heavily, he spat out a mouthful of the dark blood as the tendrils began to rise up from the creature.

"Damnable creatures…" Lin hissed just before the tendrils shot into him. He slowly fell over as the darkness clung to him like leeches. Unbearable pain washed into numbness as he fell from consciousness…

_"God will be wanting me back…"_

_"What?" Lin looked at Mono, having found her standing before her own, open grave as usual._

_"He tried to take me once, you know… He doesn't want me to stay here."_

_"Well…" The young man sighed, but then smiled, "I guess you would miss your best Angel if you sent her off too, wouldn't you?"_

_"Oh, stop that!" She giggled, and then walked over to him, resting her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, both letting out a bit of a sigh. "I'm afraid, though, Lin… that eventually…"_


	13. Randalieren Sie

_In Wake_

_XII: __Randalieren Sie_

The birds softly cooed, hopping around Lin as he lied on the floor. They picked at bugs and such around him; he slowly opened his eyes, looking at them. To him, they were all simply hazy, white blobs moving around. Dazedly, he slowly reached for one, and they all took off at once. He let his hand drop. All of his limbs felt completely gummy and useless; he could barely move his head to look around. The room began to tremor as one of the statues glowed from within, bursting apart. Unaffected, Lin looked back at the floor in front of him as the familiar, whispery voice of Dormin filled the temple.

**Thy next foe is… An altar overlooks the lake… a guardian set loose… it keeps the flames alive… Celosia…**

Lin let out a short breath, dizzily sitting upright. He squinted, seeing the birds around the altar Mono rest on- it looked as if she were breathing! Throwing himself to his feet, Lin dashed over… but found it was an illusion his tired eyes were creating. Argo, standing nearby, let out an impatient little snort which made the man jump.

"Oh, Argo." Lin sighed, walking over, "You don't have to –scare- me if you want attention. You must have come all the way back by yourself, did you…?"

**Make haste.**

"What?" He looked up, "Oh, right…"

After he was able to see correctly, Lin mounted Argo and began to draw the Ancient Sword. In the sunlight, it gleamed and glowed, the light focusing off to the north, directly beside the massive arched bridge that the warrior had crossed to enter the cursed lands. He and his horse started off, keeping on the east side of the structure.

It gave him time to actually look at the great bridge; the stonework, a faint green, was perfectly cut and stacked in many half-arches; despite being worn, it looked extremely sturdy. Lin appreciated it as a real work of art, and a great labor… but to dedicate such work to 'cursed lands'…

The ground underneath was sandy and dry, though Agro dedicatedly thundered across it. The sun was fairly hot against the skin, but sticking close to the bridge's pillars helped keep it at bay. Eventually they reached a great gorge that the massive bridge passed over; a skinny path wound down inside.

"I might have to leave you here, my friend." Lin slipped off Agro and pulled out the sword once more- the light focused down into the canyon. He patted his companion (who was obviously nervous, acting a bit skittish and drawing away from the edge) then started down the rocky path alone. The air was thick and damp and very cold as he descended; the path was a bit slick and once or twice he nearly lost his footing. Between the rocky walls of the canyon the wind shrieked and cried eerily, no other forms of life in sight. After the path had gone down, it started back up on the other side; soon bits of old ruins could be seen scattered about.

It was a bit of stairs and pillars holding up the entrance to a temple carved into a cavern. Lin cautiously walked up and put his hand on the side of one of the supports. It was cold and damp within, and he could hear dripping- but the crackling of flames was also audible. Very large braziers held billowing fires, the scent of burning oil heavy in the room. It immediately made Lin wonder- these flames must have been burning an incredibly long time and were constantly tended to. It reminded him of the eternal flames that were outside the temple at his –own- home, and to extinguish them would have had caused you to rather instantly be damned. If he got rid of whatever lived here… the flames would eventually die as well.

He quietly walked in, keeping his eyes peeled. The silence was nerve-racking, and despite that the area was cold… Lin was sweating. He didn't like the fact the area was so enclosed; he instantly looked to a crumbly-looking wall as he heard deep breathing. There was a loud snarl before the rock was knocked away, bricks and dust flying all over. Lin threw his arm up before his face to avoid getting debris in his eyes; the stony, dog-like face of the colossus had burst through. Lin had barely enough time to dodge out of the way as the creature leapt into the center of the room, growling. This was the smallest foe he had faced- but he already had his hands full as it charged forward at him. Lin stumbled back over a stone and panicked, reaching around for something to either swing or throw at the creature. His hand came into contact with a long stick- he thrust it forward and Celosia suddenly fell back.

Lin was surprised, but then noticed the end of the stick was ablaze with flames from the braziers. He swung it at the creature as he got upright, smirking, "What, afraid of a little fire, are we?"

Celosia continued to lurch back as Lin advanced with the stick, waving it about. The guardian kept backing up, to the large opening overlooking the bottom of the canyon. Lin laughed then jabbed the stick forward- the creature reached the edge and slipped, sliding down halfway. Before it could even pull itself up, Lin jabbed the flame at the creature's face; Celosia fell backwards, down to the ground, the loud 'smash' of the stone upon it's back echoing all around.

Lin peered down; the creature was lying completely still. Had he killed it? No, he couldn't have- none of those familiar black tendrils rose from Celosia. Carefully, he began climbing down, having to leave the stick behind to do so. He finally reached the colossus, cautiously approaching it, drawing the sword. The weak point glowed underneath the creature, on it's back… attempting to reach to push it over, Lin was startled as Celosia threw itself upward again. It charged at the young man who barely moved out of the way, grabbing onto some of the fur on its back. As fast as he could he climbed up and hung on- Celosia went wild and tried to shake the annoyance off. Unable to do so, it began a mad dash, shaking and bucking as it started back up for the temple.

"Urgh!" Lin lost his grip on the slick fur with one hand- Celosia shook violently as a loud snap was audible. Lin fell to the ground, holding his wrist, once again snapped completely. Celosia whipped around and charged- he managed to hit the young man with such force that he hit the side of the canyon, gasping and collapsing.

_"You have to get up!"_

_"Urgh…" Lin trembled and shook as he lied in a heap; the older boys had decided to have a run-through with him. He was bruised and rather battered, holding himself._

_"You can't stay down and accept that." Mono softly knelt down, "Even if it hurts to do so… If you let –them- beat you down, you let life beat you down too, you know? That's what my Papa always says."_

_"I… I guess…"_

_"Let me help you." Mono carefully pulled him up and dusted him off, then smiled, "We'll get back up and walk right through the experience, together, okay?"_

_"Okay."_

_**"You –must- get up, Lin!"**_

Lin scrambled out of the way just as Celosia charged, smashing its head against the rock. Nimbly, Lin leapt and grabbed ahold of Celosia as best he could, the guardian once more taking flight up into the temple. When the creature came to a halt long enough, Lin drew the Ancient Sword up and threw his weight against it to drive it in. It was immediately pushed back up with a spray of blood; he was knocked off again by the rampaging creature. But now, with the pillars and other blocks in the way, Lin was able to get away for small periods of time to try and regain enough strength to attack again. Eventually he managed to crawl back up and plunge the sword back in as far as he could, and finally, Celosia collapsed. The black blood oozed out from all sides as Lin also fell to the floor, wincing and writhing in pain. The vicious black tendrils came rising from the colossus's wound and plunged itself into Lin, who let out a soft breath…

"We're almost there, we must keep going." Lord Emon pointed- far, far away in the distance, the top of Dormin's temple could be seen. Despite the fact the other travelers were tired and worn, they continued on under the order of their leader. A few dark-feathered birds quietly followed along in the trees, as if they were trying to hide their presence. The elderly man spoke under his breath, "May God prevent him from doing anything our people would regret…"

With a quiet prayer, they were again rushing along the trail to the cursed lands.


	14. Fluß Mammut

_In Wake_

_XIII: __Fluß Mammut_

Twelve wispy, black figures stared at the man who lie unconscious on the ground as the room began to tremor violently. The statue of Celosia burst apart, falling into dull-colored pieces on the ground. Lin remained completely still as Agro slowly came into the temple, walking over. The horse gently nuzzled the man, trying to awake him.

Lin suddenly leapt up, swinging out his sword- Agro shot off with a panicked whinny to the back of the temple. Lin's eyes seemed to be aglow with pure rage- when he realized what he was doing he dropped the sword, looking around. "Ugh… ! Agro?"

The horse stayed far away.

"I'm… I'm so sorry!" Lin got up and picked up the sword, walking for his companion. Agro fussed and moved farther away, prompting Lin to drop the weapon. "No, please, it's alright! Agro…"

Eventually Lin was able to approach Agro, moving slowly and calmly. He managed to calm his friend down with a few quiet praises and petting. Lin spoke as soothingly as he could, "There… I didn't realize… I'm very sorry."

**Thy next foe is… Pelagia… **The whispers floated through the temple like a breeze, **Paradise floats on the lake… A silent being wields thunder… A moving bridge to cross higher ground…**

"…alright." Lin led Agro back to where the sword lay, picking it up and quickly sheathing it. He passed by Mono with a long gaze, out into the grass. The sky looked a bit grey at the moment, as if threatening to rain. Lin sighed out a heavy breath, walking to the small altar outside of the temple. It had been awhile… so he knelt down before it and clasped his hands in prayer.

He spoke out quiet wishes that floated off on the breeze… he took awhile before standing back up. Drawing the sword, Lin raised his arm up to catch the light, but noticed, right away, that the veins down his arms had gotten even darker. He temporarily put down the weapon to examine himself. He could see the black coloration actually throbbing through his veins, barely reaching onto the back of his hands. A dark band of color was splashed across his wrist where he had broken it before. Gently, Lin touched it…

His skin was suddenly aflame with pain, and he let out a yell- he squeezed his arm tightly against his waist, trying his best to dull the sensation. Eventually it calmed down, leaving him panting; Agro cautiously stepped closer to him. Lin let out a heavy breath, "I think I'm alright now…"

Again he raised the sword; the light focused northeast. Slipping it back in its sheath, he climbed atop his horse and soon both of them were off. Again the path took them almost directly under the massive bridge that connected to Dormin's sanctuary, but veered off onto a narrow, twisted earthen bridge. The entire ride across it was nerve-racking as dust fell off the edges and the rock itself vibrated; but it was quick to cross. Lin pulled back on the reins to ease Agro to a halt as they came into a dense woods packed between the mountains. A little stream gurgled and ended off the far edge, water pouring down into the ocean below. Carefully Agro walked through the brush and around the trees, before coming to another opening.

Lin brought Agro back up to speed as they went up a path between the canyon; they came to a halt as the path abruptly ended by some pillars. Between the arches, water thundered through, down across the edge into the ocean. Beyond the mighty structure was a massive body of calm water; Lin checked with his sword, the lights focusing within.

"Alright, you take care." Lin slipped off Agro and walked up to the pillar at the end of the path. He leapt up and grabbed the lip of the pattern around it and shimmied to the back end. Lin ran across a strip of land and leapt off the end into the clear water. It was quite cold, causing shivers to run up the man's spine. Slowly he swam to a stone platform, looking over the body of water and odd, circular structures that rose up. The water was unnervingly still, so Lin carefully walked forward and touched the surface.

Large bubbles began rising up from the water, the surface rising up as a stony figure rose up. The head burst out in a spray of water, the colossus rising to full height. The curved face glared down at Lin, letting out a low growl. Slowly Pelagia began charging up power, sending blasts of electricity at Lin. He yelped and instantly dove underwater.

He could hear the massive creature move in the water as he passed by, coming up for a breath of air. Lin started for one of the other platforms, diving back under as more electricity was thrown at him. Luckily, it fizzled on the surface before it had any effect. Lin scrambled up onto the surface, heading behind the pillars- he was struck in the back with the electricity, instantly gasping and stumbling forward, twitching. He gasped and pulled himself behind the center pillar of the structure, shaking.

**Hmm… **Dormin's voice filtered into his mind, **A little static electricity brings thee down that quickly?**

"No, I'm fine…" Lin shuddered, listening as the colossus sniffed around for him.

**Focus thy efforts on getting on its level…**

"Ugh…" Lin peered around the edge, finding Pelagia to be staring directly at him. Lin gasped, but took as long as he could to examine the beast- upon its head, a crown of cracked and chipped stones that resembled rotten teeth glowed. They were obviously painful, as black rot could be seen within the cracks and dips. Lin pulled his bow off his shoulder, pulled an arrow from his quiver, letting it fly. The weapon hit against one of the stones, causing Pelagia to bow its head down in pain. Taking the opening, Lin leapt out and grabbed a hold of the flat head, then was quickly risen up.

The 'fur' on the head was more like grass, complete with pockets of weeds. The colossus numbly moved its head around, looking for the warrior; Lin stumbled around for a moment, wondering what exactly to do. Carefully he clambered up to one of the stones, pulling out his sword. Smacking it against the 'tooth', Lin nearly fell backwards as Pelagia groaned in pain and started walking directly forward. It slowly marched toward the building directly northeast, but came to a halt.

"Ah…" Lin smacked the stone again and waited as the colossus lumbered forward. When it got close enough, he leapt off the head and onto the top of the building. He quickly ran around behind a raised stone, avoiding a sudden electrical discharge. He carefully took his bow and an arrow, suddenly standing up. He made a face at the creature before letting another arrow loose at one of its eyes.

Pelagia snorted with irritation as the arrow bounced off its rocky face, rising up halfway out of the water and slamming its blunt front legs against the structure. The rock splintered and cracked as it rested its weight against it and began to power up. Lin spotted the soft furred stomach, leaping off the edge and clinging on. Instantly the glowing weak spot appeared under Lin, as he fumbled his bow around his shoulder and drew the sword. Before Pelagia could move, the sword was stabbed in- the colossus shrieked, smashing forward against the stone structure. It completely fell apart, leaving only the cracked and chipped platforms, the bricks falling into the water. As Pelagia started back down into the water, Lin let go and swam away in order to avoid being trapped. He rose with a gasp in the water behind the colossus, looking back. It was busily trying to find where Lin had gone- so Lin took the chance to shimmy up its tailbone, running back to its head.

Lin smacked the stones on the left side of Pelagia's head, causing it to turn violently in the same direction. Lin forced it forward with quick slices at the middle stones, again leaping off. He repeated his original tactics of taunting and launching arrows at it until it rose up again; he leapt forward onto the belly and stabbed at the weak spot several times more.

Pelagia stumbled forward in pain, sliding sideways off the platform as Lin tore away. It let out a loud groan as it collapsed completely, falling into the water. Lin gurgled as he was pulled down into the water, still attacking the area even though the glowing symbol had long since vanished.

He was no longer within his own mind; his body was reacting on impulse. Even as his breath waned away and his lungs ached, he was still clinging on underwater and attacking. His rampage was only ended as the black tendrils came shooting out of the wound and running right through him. The Ancient Sword slipped from his hands and settled at the bottom of the pond as Lin inhaled dirtied water and passed out. The sword glimmered at the bottom, vanishing with a 'puff' of soft light…

The body of water again became silent, forever.

_"We're ready… have they found Lin?"_

_"No, my lord…" One of the villagers spoke to Emon, "He's not in the village right now."_

_"We'll have to just take the time we can."_

_Lin had gone to the edges of the forest where he lived, Agro standing off to the side. In irritation, Lin was shooting arrows off into random trees; not three hours ago had he been scolded by Mono. He had been trying to keep his eye on her all day, following her about… it finally had tested her patience and she ordered him to leave. So there we was, taking his anger out on the woods, with little else to do at the moment…_

_He didn't realize that when he would come back…she would be gone._


	15. Himmelspur

_In Wake_

_XIV - Himmelspur_

_When he had returned in the evening, Lin was struck by the feeling of being alone. Though everyone was trying to act normal, he was getting uncomfortable looks from all around. His first instinct was to find her._

_She was not at the pond, nor even standing at her own grave; not at her house, not within the dry fields, nowhere. Slowly realization hit, and Lin rushed to the church. Two of the villagers barred his entrance at first, until he demanded, through force, that he be allowed in._

_So there she lay, as if asleep peacefully, across the stone altar, drained of all life. The people within said nothing as Lin stumbled forward, numbly coming to his knees. Tears hit like rain across the floor; he should have stayed...!_

_He really should have stayed with her... Lord Emon slowly walked up beside the young man, putting his hand on his shoulder. Lin grit his teeth, hate and rage welling up inside of him. Though the two said nothing, Lin's mind started running a thousand miles a minute._

_Lin was going to do -something- about this, even if it meant visiting the gods himself!_

As the sanctuary was shook and another idol fell, Lin dazedly lied upon the floor, unable to focus on anything. Before him, dark masses moved- one seemed to reach for his face, so he yelled and rolled away. The birds near the altar scattered off in various directions as Lin threw himself about in contortions, trying to avoid the figures only his eyes could see...

**Have thee gone as mad as a dog? **Dormin chuckled at the sight of the young man writing on the floor.

"Get away!" Lin eventually pressed up against the stone altar, holding his head, his black-stained hair poking through the gaps of his fingers. He trembled and shook, leaning as hard as he could on the cold stone.

**Fool... thy eyes trick thee. Get thee to thy feet and clear thy mind. Longer and longer, the further and further all wastes away into nothing...**

Lin cautiously rose up, eventually brushing against Mono's arm as he stood up. At first, he could see the dark shapes rise up and advance for him... but as he watched, they eventually faded into nothing. He let off a shiver, cold sweat running down his grey-toned skin.

**Are We to assume... that thee may no longer be capable of this task...?**

"No, my lord!" Lin shouted up at the light pouring from the ceiling, "I am not through yet, please tell me where I must travel next!"

**Very well... **Dormin stifled another chuckle, **Thy next foe is... Phalanx... The vast desert lands... A giant trail drifts through the sky... Thou art not alone... **

Lin nodded absent mindedly, feeling Mono's arm finally succumb to gravity and slide off of the stone, her hand dangling. He quickly turned around and very carefully put it back across her still heart, brushing the hair from her face. With a tender, but sad smile, he left her, walking out into the dry grass once more.

"Agro!" He yelled, and the horse quickly came from the side of the temple with a look that asked 'What?' Lin laughed at this, walking over. "There you are. Should have known you were nearby. I don't think you know how much gratitude I have for you..."

He used his sword to find the path- southwest, upon a route traveled before- and both horse and rider were quickly off yet again.

Lin eventually broke from the path he had traveled into the massive, swirling sands of the desert. Far, far before him lay some ruins that could hardly be identified, were it not for the open archway. Agro's hooves beat heavily against the sand as the horse plunged forward toward the stacked stones- all was otherwise fairly quiet.

As they reached the ruins, Lin allowed Agro to come to a near-halt, quietly walking through them. They stoppped when the sand, further ahead, began shifting and curling. It began to well up like a moving hill, a pointed head finally breaking free. Smooth as a strand of silk, the wyrm-like Colossus rose up into the air, the sand falling off its back in a cascade. It silently rose into the heavens, curling around and simply drifting above Lin peacefully. The warrior watched for the longest time- Phalanx either didn't know, or care, that he was there... it made no attempt to attack whatsover. Even as he whistled at it, it simply observed him from its lofty height and had no other reactions.

"It's not angry at all..." Lin almost felt relaxed, watching it. He observed large, pale sacs of skin across the underside- he assumed they had to be what was keeping the creature upright since it didn't move it's 'fins' like wings. As Agro shook his head to free the dust from his mane, Lin took up his bow and an arrow. "Go!"

Agro let out a sharp whinny before shooting off, following the colossus directly underneath. Lin took exceptionally careful aim... the arrow shot off and hit one of the sacs, a thick black cloud suddenly pouring out. Phalanx didn't seem too effected and continued gracefully floating across it's domain. Lin shot off another arrow, hitting the second sac, followed by the third. It was only after that then Phalanx began losing altitude.

It slowly came down, fins hitting against the sand- it began crusing over the desert just as if it were in the sky, at a high speed. Lin waited for it to curl around, shouting for Agro to run alongside of it. Lin slowly stood up on the saddle as Agro put all of his might into running- as the ribbed fin grew close, Lin leapt off and grabbed on.

He was hanging almost horizontally off the wind since the snake moved so fast, the air pressure trying to push him away. Struggling, as it began to rise back into the air, Lin crawled onto the fur-covered back. Unfortunately, he watched off the edge as the earth went farther and farther away, his companion only a little black dot below. Now with an incredibly uneasy stomach, Lin carefully moved to the middle of the colossus's back to take a look around.

Large, hard flaps of skin could be seen all down the length of Phalanx's body. They moved slightly, apparently being used as dorsal fins in flight. But underneath them were very tender looking patches of skin. As soon as he pulled the Ancient Sword out, they glowed softly.

Carefully, Lin crawled down underneath one of the flaps of skin, the sigil underneath glowing bright blue. He found he could safely let go since the flaps completely blocked out the wind- he rose up, holding the blade down, plunging it into the creature's back with all his weight. Black blood shot out like a geyser directly at Lin's face, making him fall onto his back and spit; it drifted behind Phalanx like a dirty cloud. After wiping his face off, Lin began carefully crawling down to another weak point. Phalanx made no attempts to resist him, and a wave of guilt flushed over his senses. He was beginning to doubt... should he be doing this?

_"Never hurt others, especially those incapable of fighting back." Mono sat beside the pond, her feet completely underwater. "You -are- listening?"_

_"Yeah, yeah..." Lin sighed and sat down beside her._

_"Even if... something would happen... I never want you to take your rage out on the people." Mono slowly reached over and brushed some of Lin's red hair from his face, "They're just like you and me... we all have faults... but do not deserve hate and pain..."_

_"I..." Lin trailed off, grumbling._

_"You must promise me."_

_"Mono..."_

_She simply stared at him in silence. Lin sighed, finally nodding his head. "I promise, I won't hurt anybody..."_

_"You're a good person, Lin." Mono smiled and leaned over, resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "I couldn't ask for anyone better."_

_"Neither could I."_

Reaching the second soft spot, Lin again plunged the sword deep into Phalanx's flesh, this time ducking before being sprayed. Phalanx twitched in pain, and Lin was suddenly forced out from behind the flap as it began to close. Phalanx was in a dive! Lin grabbed ahold of the fur the best he could, but it was slick from the black blood. As the colossus went head-first into the sand, Lin lost his grip and was tossed up into the air...

Eventually, following the laws of gravity, Lin smashed down into the sand. Agro, farther away, panicked and came running for his master. The young man lie silent, black blood oozing out from underneath him and darkening the sand. Phalanx silently slipped underground, disappearing for the time being... Agro finally reached Lin, letting out a little snort while looking at his master.

**...dead, already?**

Lin did not move. The black stain spread further.

**..pathetic little mortal, as useless as a tree bearing no fruit.**

The black stain suddenly stopped spreading... and began retreating. It balled up into a gel-like substance, creeping over Lin's body. Strange popping sounds could be heard from his spine, as the substance forcibly re-entered him. Lin slowly began moving upright, on his knees.

**Oh ho! We are impressed now... will ye fight?**

"I'll kill it..." Lin staggered to his feet, his eyes aglow with rage. Agro nervously backed away from him a few steps, but Lin caught ahold of him and climbed back into the saddle. By now Phalanx was beginning to rise into the air again. Lin let out a yell and the startled horse took off.

Lin readied his bow, and let off three arrows right after another. All three hit the targets exactly on, the colossus dipping down towards the sand once more. Again Agro was told to run alongside the creature- Lin leapt off and grabbed ahold of the fin. No longer did the wind resistance bother him at all- with all his might, he dragged himself up onto the back of the creature, even as it began rising. He tore off to the last weak spot, quickly slamming the Ancient Sword down. All his fury and rage came out as it was forcibly embedded all the way down to its hilt- he ripped it out, blood spewing forth. Phalanx let out a soft whine... the sacs of gas deflated and the snake began to fall. As the body slammed down into the sand, Lin held on, waiting until it was still. He whipped around, holding his arm out toward the wound as the tendrils came rising out.

"Come on already, I don't have time for this!"

As if on command, the tendrils shot directly at him, winding up his arm and pushing through his chest. Lin smirked, his eyes still aglow with rage, standing for a few seconds before being pushed backwards and collapsing. As the corpse turned to stone, Agro watched from far away... turning and starting back off for the shrine, alone. He knew that, when he'd come back... his owner wouldn't be too much longer...


	16. Zerstören Sie

_In Wake_

_XV: __Zerstören Sie_

Lin lied perfectly still on the cold floors for some time. His mind was racing- words and images randomly shot into his consciousness in a dizzying rush. He could hear her- laughing, crying, scolding- from all around. In every picture, every place… she stood, facing him, pale as snow, barefoot, and grinning.

_"Don't leave me."_

The young man cringed, slowly moving his hands to his head. The dark figures watched him curiously. His head felt as if it were simply going to split wide open. Lin threw himself into an upright position, stumbling back a few steps. The images and unarranged sounds kept coming in a storm.

_"Do you promise?"_

"God, please stop it! Don't torture me like this!" Lin shouted, his voice echoing through the room. The statue of Phalanx began to glow, bursting apart. At the same time the pieces fell to the floor, the memories stopped. Heavy tears ran down Lin's face as he sighed, thanking the heavens. "God… Mono…"

**Thy next foe is Cenobia…**Dormin's unsympathetic, deep tone rolled about the sanctuary, **A guardian set loose… A closed off city beyond the channel… It lusts for destruction.**

"You…" Lin stammered, "You don't mean another one of those small-"

**Indeed.**

"Aw, for…" Lin growled, a sigh quickly following. "Not that I have any other choice…"

**Oh ho ho… indeed, not. **Dark chuckles followed, fading away… Lin ignored them and hurried outside. Agro was awaiting him, nibbling on the grass. Lin smiled and headed down, patting his good friend's nose. He pulled out the ancient sword and rose it high, the light focusing to the northwest. Sheathing the blackened blade, Lin crawled up into the saddle and gave Agro a sharp kick, the horse starting off immediately.

"When this is all done…" Lin spoke as he rode, "I'll be sure to plant you an entire garden of carrots. Just don't get fat from eating them all!"

The trail led them to a canyon wall, and to the mountains… a path behind an enormous stone tower looked dark and foreboding, but horse and rider thundered down it. Dead trees lay beyond the trail in dry grass, the area breaking into another path. Reaching the other side, Lin was greeted by many pillars, some fallen, some still standing, and a few even sunk into the earth. He slowly brought his horse to a halt between these pillars, a large cavern entrance greeting him. Standing water could be seen, constant dripping echoing out.

"Well, guess this means –you- won't be coming." Lin crawled down and gave Agro another pat, "At least there's some greener looking grass here, huh? See you later, Agro."

Lin walked into the cavern, wading into the bitterly cold water. With a shudder, he quickly swam across- the water was absolutely crystal clear and beautiful, nothing living within. Crawling out onto the rocky edge of the opposite side, Lin shivered and tried to wring out his clothes as he walked.

The path started drab, dark, and moist… not the most uplifting of places. But it began to break away into ruins, with intricate carvings set deep in the stone. Lin slowed down, looking at the structures in awe as he walked. They opened up to the outside, where massive stone walls and empty channels surrounded the young man. Awed, he wandered down the channels like a child set loose in a candy store.

"Wow… this… is amazing!" He gasped. Eventually he found an opening, crawling up and walking within. A flight of stairs greeted him, with a fallen pillar right across the middle; he climbed over it and walked up into a large courtyard.

Loud breathing could be heard, followed by low growling. At a raised square of the courtyard stood Cenobia, dog-faced and small, like Celosia before it- a few birds sat upon the stony back, taking off as the guardian leapt off the platform, jumping off a few fallen pillars and finishing staring directly at Lin. Its back was covered in the thick stone like armor; Lin had no time to look for a weak spot as it came charging at him. He rolled out of the way in the nick of time, hitting against a fallen pillar. Cenobia let out another growl before charging at the man again- Lin scrambled up onto the pillar, nearly falling off as he ran to the far side. Just as Cenobia smashed into the object, breaking it to bits, Lin leapt up and grabbed hold of the ledge on the courtyard wall. Lin panted as the creature prepared to charge again.

**Standing still would be quite unwise… though this creature will bash itself silly by the end…**

"Uh, right!" Lin ran to a higher section of the wall, which vibrated as Cenobia ran into it. Lin followed the ledge further, leaping onto a lower section… and leaping onto a standing pillar. Finding nowhere else to go, he nervously looked down the edge.

The Guardian was rather angry, unable to chase its prey when it was at such a height. It let out a terrible snarl before smashing its head hard against the pillar- it cracked and splintered, and Lin let out a yelp as it began falling. Cenobia ran around to the other side, avoiding the path in which it was falling, just waiting for the man to come down. But he didn't!

Lin, panicked, had leapt off mid-fall onto another pillar. He climbed up and clung on as Cenobia smashed again into the pillar. A second hit sent it falling like the first. Lin leapt and caught the next pillar and the cycle viciously continued, until he came onto a box-like platform. His heart was racing as he sat on the edge, Cenobia growling and pacing around below. The guardian soon grew bored, and sat down, eyeing the man…

Lin worked on catching his breath, glancing around. There was one more pillar- Lin had been chased back to the way he had come in! A very shaky looking platform lay beyond the pillar, the rock structure underneath clearly on the verge of collapsing. Thus came an idea- just as Dormin had observed before, this thing was going to smash into everything, right? Why not let it do just that?

Lin carefully leapt onto the next pillar, whistling sharply. Cenobia leapt up and rammed the pillar in anger. Two hits and it began down- Lin leapt onto the shaky platform ahead and then looked down at Cenobia.

"Hah hah, look at the dumb colossus," Lin made faces at it, "Can't even climb up to get me."

Cenobia was –enraged-. It plowed forward, running into the support pillar- Lin leapt off to the side as the structure began to give way. Cenobia looked up only to be covered in heavy stones, smashing his armor completely off. Letting out a loud whine, it struggled to pry itself loose from the debris. Meanwhile, Lin pulled out the ancient sword and pointed it at the creature- the sigil appeared on its back, just as he had figured. Carefully leaping down, he tried to rush the creature. It ripped itself free and instantly slashed a claw back at Lin.

Lin fell back a few feet from the attack, massive gashes torn into his chest. Blood began pouring from the wounds, as he gasped to regain his breath, staggering to his feet in a hunched-over position as Cenobia charged. Lin forced himself around behind a fallen pillar, holding his chest as the guardian smashed into it. Now, however, lacking armor, it really –did- knock itself silly, becoming dazed.

"Urgh!" Lin dragged himself up onto the pillar, holding on until Cenobia regained enough sense to stand and charge again. When it hit the stone, it again became dazed and Lin leapt onto the back. The stiff fur poked up into his wounds and stung- he simply grit his teeth and slammed the sword into the weak spot.

Cenobia took off in a pained fury, bucking and whipping around, trying to throw Lin off as blood splashed all over the place. As soon as he was able, Lin stabbed the sword in again- Cenobia roared, throwing Lin off.

The man slid across the courtyard, leaving a bloody stain, coming to rest on his face. By now he was becoming dizzy and disoriented from the pain and bleeding. He propped himself up on the Ancient Sword, finding Cenobia to be coming fast. Lin was unable to move fast enough, getting hit and sent flying, landing near the wall.

"I… I can't do this…" He muttered lowly, feeling his fingers and toes become cold. His face began to turn perfectly white. "I'm going to die…"

**We are quite disappointed. Was it not thy that took down the Colossi, as tall as the hills? Are thee to fall to a runt, truly?**

"Urgh…" Lin winced, but couldn't move further. "I can't…"

**So, what shall We do with the girl you left in Our sanctuary, then?**

Lin cringed, slowly putting his arms to either side. With a groan, he pushed himself upright, his darkened blood smeared down the front of his frock. Cenobia looked up from sniffing farther away, growling. Lin tightened his fist around the Ancient Sword, the black veins in his face growing darker.

Cenobia charged, sensing its prey was weakened, claws first. When it reached the warrior, it let out a terrible roar and slashed, but his claws met absolutely nothing. Shocked, the guardian sniffed about.

Lin had leapt up against the wall and was sticking, the black blood having congealed and holding him like a glue. He leapt off with a shriek like some unearthly imp, driving the sword straight down through the beast. The guardian let out a wail and collapsed, blood pouring out as it went silent. Lin ripped the sword out, smirking… he stumbled back a few steps and collapsed just as the tendrils rose up to meet him.

For once, he was out before they got to him.


	17. Verlassene Welt

_In Wake_

_XVII -Verlassene Welt_

Outside the clouds began to thicken and churn, low rumbling rolling over the dry land around the sanctuary. The noises echoed inside through the wide arches beyond the altar, the rumbling from the next idol soon accompanying. The statue burst apart and fell to the silent floors, lying in bits.

Lin lied in a heap on the dark-stained floors. His heart was at a slow murmur, and he felt as if he were completely underwater. He shuddered and winced as he came to his senses, slowly sitting up with a groan. Placing a hand against his chest, Lin found, again, large patches of grey scar tissue where the wounds had been. However, his clothes still bore the gashes and stains from the battle. He felt weary- even his soul seemed tired- as he slowly gazed at the opening in the roof.

**Thy next foe is... A giant has fallen into the valley... It acts as a sentry to a destroyed city... **Dormin's deep voice seemed to match the weather outside, **Argus…**

"Right…" Lin let out a sigh, but could not pull himself to his feet. Looking around, he found Agro wasn't in sight- he let out a sharp whistle and the horse came up the stairs from outside. Agro stopped beside Lin, the man hoisting himself upright while using his companion for support. "There we are… Ugh… my limbs feel like mush…"

Agro quietly stood still, letting Lin hold on as long as he needed… the horse then slowly walked out with him. The Ancient Sword picked up just bare scraps of light, enough to form a beam- it pointed a bit northeast, looking to be in the exact same path as Peligia's domain. Lin put the sword away and hauled himself up into the saddle, urging Agro to take off.

Lin almost went across the twisty earthen bridge to the forest between the mountains, but brought Agro to a stop, looking around. It didn't feel quite right to be going that direction… so he decided he must go around. They started off again, curving around across a different bridge, across dry grass and loose sand. Eventually they came into the mountains on another path, large pillars greeting them.

Eventually Lin encountered a coliseum-like wall face, pillars and such laying scattered about. One lay directly in the entrance, so Lin left Agro and started in. Much slower that normal, he crawled over the pillar, groaning… Following the stairs up, he found himself facing an open field surrounded by coliseum-ish walls. Walking forward, he noticed old foundations that the grass was slowly growing over. Definitely, by the number of these bases, the area had once –indeed- been a city, a very tightly packed one at that. It ended at a ledge that overlooked a canyon… Lin walked over, gazing down.

Rather abruptly, however, a dark hand rose up and grabbed the edge, the rest of the colossus being pulled up. Lin stumbled back as the cleaver-carrying giant reached the top, hoofed feet smashing into the earth. Argus glared down at the little figure, breathing heavily. Lin hesitated, slowly backing away. There was an odd moment of silence, the two watching each other carefully, before Argus began lumbering forward. Its footsteps were so heavy it splintered the edges of the old foundations as it began passing over them. Lin instantly ducked into the side walls of the field, pulling out the Ancient Sword. Light was sparse- but he got enough to find three weak points- one on the head, heart, and oddly enough, in the hand which it carried its cleaver.

At first Lin was tempted to simply dash out and try to climb up… that was before he noticed it had bald legs and lots of armor on, which would impede the trip. The longer Lin waited, the closer Argus drew. When it was unable to come any closer, it rose up a foot and smashed it back down.

Lin yelped, being knocked completely head over heels from the impact. After sitting upright, he noticed that the stone tile near where Argus had tread was now pointing up, toward the second floor of the coliseum walls. Before it could go back down, Lin ran over and jumped up, catching the lip of the next wall and slowly climbing up. Now he was eye-level with the beast, not close enough to leap. Instinctively, he looked up for another path- loose bricks provided the ceiling, looking easily knocked free…

Lin ran farther down the path, Argus slowly following. The man then made faces at the colossus, who, in typical annoyed fashion, began to draw its sword back. It swung the massive cleaver up and brought it down across the roof- Lin rolled out of dodge, coughing at the dust that poured down. When most of it had cleared, there were now the massive bricks lying around on the floor, holes in the ceiling. Lin hurried up onto the third floor.

Now he was so high up that Argus could merely stare up at him. But the colossus was not nearly close enough to even –attempt- leaping over. So Lin again took a moment to look around- tall bridges crossed from wall to wall on this final level. He ran to the far end, watching as his enemy followed.

Though Lin was fairly ready to leap… Argus decided he had enough of this little pest. He swung his sword up and smashed it into the bridge, breaking it apart. The bricks fell to the ground, and Argus quickly examined them. When he couldn't find Lin, he looked back up.

"God…!" Lin was hanging off the broken edge with one hand, dangling in the breeze. Swinging his weight, he caught the side with his other hand and shakily pulled himself upright. Argus was now rather… -amused-… with this little visitor. He planted himself almost directly underneath, and then smashed a foot down. The vibrations were enough to shake even the top floor, making Lin stumble over onto his rear end. Argus –chuckled-.

"Hey! You think this is funny?" Lin righted himself, took off running, and leapt right off the edge, landing directly on Argus's forehead. The colossus was stunned, trying to look up at the man, but when the sword was driven in, Argus began to shake violently. Lin hung on with all his might, stabbing again when the colossus had to rest. Argus proved to be a fighter, whipping around once more to try and toss Lin off.

Both were fairly tired when he finally stopped shaking, Lin shimmying down onto the broad shoulders, leaning against a protruding brown rib. Even then the colossus shook with all its might, apparently rather unaffected by the head wound.

"Stubborn..." Lin began down across Argus's chest, stopping over the heart of the beast. A blue sigil glowed brilliantly underneath him, so he readied the sword and stabbed it in. Argus groaned and began shaking yet again, blood pouring out. Lin began slipping down, his entire body tired. Instead of fight his own body, Lin shimmied down as far as he could and leapt off, running to the coliseum walls to try and recover.

Argus, on the other hand, was now rightly mad, and headed the same way Lin did. He stomped the earth, unwittingly letting Lin onto the next floor and above. The colossus followed underneath as the warrior ran to the broken bridge. Lin leapt, and the vicious circle started again.

This time, Lin was able to make the glowing marker completely disappear. He dragged himself back up onto the shoulders, and then found himself crawling down to the wrist. A previous, bloody wound was visible when he drew close- he stabbed the sword in.

Argus immediately dropped his weapon, smashing his free hand against his wrist, and knocking Lin off. The stone cleave was now partially embedded in the earth... and Lin was lying, dazed, next to it. The giant was now -furious- and drew its fist back, intending to bring it down on Lin's head. The warrior simply stared up, panting, as the black hand came crashing down right on top of him.

There was a satisfying 'crunch' noise, so Argus began to draw its hand up to investigate. When it opened its fist, however, Lin was clinging to the palm, his eyes almost glowing as he drew up the sword and drove it in. Argus threw its hand back violently, the tip of the blade having gone all the way through. The warrior clung on, and when able, attacked and attacked again.

Finally, pain and bloodloss caused the colossus to succumb. Slowly it began to fall forward, its limbs numb and its world growing dark. The great body smashed into the field, causing the entire area to tremor violently. Lin, having held onto the palm the entire way down, was now pinned under the appendage, weary, tired, and sheet-white. Unable to even try to fight, he closed his eyes as the always-present tendrils began to rise from Argus's corpse...

The sanctuary was now less than a few hours away, Lord Emon and the knights approaching swiftly. There was no time for a break, they knew, as they plowed forward on their horses... None of them could imagine what Lin had been doing the entire time, much less be capable of it themselves... Would they be able to undo what was just about done? Would they make it in time before Lin damned himself and possibly the rest of the village?

"Almost there..."


	18. Schließlich Rüber

_In Wake_

_XVIII - __Schließlich Rüber_

The rain began to fall and ping off the stone structure of the sanctuary, lightning silently streaking across the sky. It fell through the still lit opening of the ceiling, falling upon Lin's silent body. Now he was in stark contrast with the floors, his skin pale white and his hair pitch black. His clothes were muted grey with dried colossi blood, shredded and worn beyond repair. The room shook as yet another idol burst into pieces… leaving only one still whole.

Lin slowly opened his eyes as the rain hit across his face, covered in black scars, blinking out the extra water. He put his hand up to block the weather, slowly sitting upright. His ice-blue eyes nearly glowed in the shadow of his hand as he slowly gazed around. All the doves were sitting directly beside the altar, avoiding the rain. Agro stood off to the side, also trying to avoid the ill weather. Lin slowly rose to his feet, letting out a cold sigh.

"One more…" He then looked up and shouted, "Lord Dormin! Are you there?"

**We are always present here… **The deep voice rolled through the sanctuary. **Are thou becoming impatient?**

"Truthfully…"

**Very well. **Dormin paused for a moment, **Finally, the last colossus, Malus… The ritual is nearly over… Thy wish is nearly granted… But someone now stands to get in thy way… Make haste, for time is short…**

"Someone… god –damn- it…" Lin hissed. He knew before he started that they would look for him, but was hoping they wouldn't catch up in time… Lin tore across the temple to Agro, crawling into the saddle with such haste that the horse was a little startled. With no time to lose, Lin directed the horse outside.

As the rain fell down, Lin tried to pull out the Ancient Sword and find a location, but the clouds were too thick for sunlight to filter through. He growled, until a streak of lighting crossed the sky- for a moment, the sword reflected the light to the southeast. Putting the blade away, Lin gave Agro a sharp kick and the two were off.

At first they headed directly south, until coming to familiar rock walls and charging down the pathway in between. Lin remembered this path from before, and, upon reaching the fork, headed down the right path instead. Soon all broke way into a very beautiful, lush and green field. But the most striking were two massive doors that could be seen from –miles- away. Lin stared in awe as Agro continued for the target.

When they arrived, Lin slid from the saddle and stared up at the doors. It was, literally, sized for a colossus and very beautiful. A hole set high let light pour forth despite the rain, almost making a spotlight on the ground before it. The doors, obviously, would not open by pushing (it'd take millions of Lins to even try!) so Lin slowly walked into the light beam.

It was warm and rather comforting, so he lingered in it a moment before pulling out the Ancient Sword. The weapon gleamed and glimmered brilliantly, so Lin held the blade aloft- it reflected the beautiful beam straight back to the door, which suddenly clicked. With rumbling and cacophony, the doors began to slide open, dirt and dust packed between it falling down in clouds. Behind it lay green grass and a stone path that held a bridge; the structure seemed to be worn from years of age, but still passable.. The rushing of a river could be heard, deep within a canyon.

"Almost done, my friend…" Lin brushed the dust off Agro before climbing onto his back. Lin drew him back several feet, and then let out a sharp yell- the horse reared up with a whinny, shooting off at top speed. They went up the trail, beside the open canyon, heading for the bridge.

The first few gallops were nothing, but then Lin heard the unmistakable sound of rock splintering. He gasped and looked back as the bridge began to fall into pieces right behind Agro's feet. The other end began to whine and crack as well, the horse running as fast as he could. Lin shouted to try to keep Agro going, but the horse slipped on a falling section of the bridge.

Before Lin could react, the horse bucked forward so violently Lin was completely tossed from the saddle onto the other side. Then, along with the plunging stones, Agro started down for the bottom of the canyon. Lin instantly threw himself to the side, watching helplessly, screaming, "AGRO!!"

After what seemed like an eternity, a splash echoed from far, far below. Lin stammered, completely stunned, tears mingling with the rain that poured down his face. He swallowed hard, hitting the ground with a closed fist. "God DAMMIT, Agro!"

Lin let out a few choked sobs, slowly pushing himself to his feet. His best friend, who had followed him to the end of the world… he turned and faced the path onwards as the lighting and thunder grew ever worse. Gathering himself together, Lin tore off. A massive, very beautiful structure greeted him, but he didn't stop to even look, rushing into the area until he came across a dead end. Ornate pillars rose up, so he instantly began climbing. Reaching the top, he leapt out onto a stone platform before a massive open field… and a very, VERY large foe.

The warrior stared in silence at a figure that was taller than any tower, or even any other colossus Lin had ever seen. Lighting alit the creature momentarily, which seemed to have already noticed the little human. It wore a skirt of iron and rock armor, and had wide bands around its wrists… It rose up a hand as one of the wrists began to glow. Instinctively, Lin ducked behind a broken piece of wall as it shot a –huge- blast of electricity his way. It hit the stone and crackled violently around the edges, Lin gasping.

**Be careful… **Dormin warned, **Getting to thy enemy is a task in itself. Make use of the structures left here…**

"Right…" Lin looked around, flinching at another blast that hit the stone behind him, making it rather hot against his back. Lin scrambled out to follow the broken wall section, pausing now and then to avoid the blasts. Reaching the end, he noticed some stairs leading underground, so he took off for them in a mad dash. Malus released another charged shot, which caught the warrior at the heels. Lin screamed as he was tossed forward, filled with electricity. He hit the lip of the tunnel and fell down inside, smelling quite burnt, blood pouring from his suddenly-inflicted head wound.

"Ergh!" was the only sound he could produce for quite some time, shaking while sitting upright. Despite the injury, Lin knew he had no time left, so he threw himself to his feet and charged off to the other side of the tunnel. He carefully peered up, finding another destroyed wall to guard him.

The path was long and harrowing, Lin criss-crossing across the field and under the ground. Finally he reached a final tunnel, coming up right behind the monstrous figure. The heavy 'skirt' swayed lightly, keeping Malus from turning around or moving to smash the young man. Lin reached up and began his climb.

Finding places to crawl wasn't hard, but the slick slides and the constant motion caused more than enough problems. Sometimes the pieces didn't exactly match up with the next level. Lin climbed literal miles up the back of Malus, his arms aching from hauling his weight repeatedly. Finally, he made it onto the back, on a safe platform… he pulled out his sword and waited for the lighting.

When it crossed the sky enough for the sword to light up, Lin was aghast at the many weak points that appeared. How in the world was he going to have enough energy for all this? His shock seemed to alert Dormin…

**Many appear not to be 'true' weaknesses… **Dormin whispered to Lin, **But will provide a chance for thee to climb to the true point… will thy attempt this task?**

"I have to…" Lin started up the furry back, walking to a small weak point. He drew the sword back and stabbed it in. Malus did not have much reaction, except to bring its hand back to examine the wound. Lin leapt on and clung to the thin hair on the palm, and suddenly found himself moving.

Malus turned his hand palm up to look at the little pest. Before it could close its hand, Lin shot up the arm, having to stop before the glowing armband that crackled with electricity. A small wound appeared underneath his feet, so he stabbed at it quickly. Malus responded by trying to smack him flat with his –other- hand, only to have the stubborn warrior cling onto –that-.

Perhaps, now, Malus was rather intrigued, for he held his palm up to carefully examine the pale man, whose eyes seemed to glow in the dark rain. Lin spotted a bloody wound on the shoulder, and quickly took up his bow and an arrow, and aimed. The arrow hit perfectly on target, Malus instantly throwing his hand to pluck it out. Finally Lin was on the shoulder, tucking up close to the neck to rest.

Finally Lin was able to crawl up to the true weakness- but Malus was now angry and began whipping its head violently. Lin became dizzy rather quick, with the black blood from his wound running into his eyes. When he was able, he stabbed at the massive weak spot on the skull, blood shooting out into the rain. Malus began fighting and shaking again, making the warrior weary.

Though he became exhausted fast and was only able to deliver small blows, determination kept Lin going. The thought of being almost done… almost completely finished with this terrible task… to see Mono once more… all this kept his spent body moving. Finally, he stabbed the sword in one last time, all his energy wasted, as Malus groaned.

The –huge- figure started to collapse, first onto its knees. The skirt smashed and stacked up on itself, forcing Malus to fall forward. Lin grit his teeth and held onto the back of the head as he began falling with it, heading miles down to the earth rapidly. When Malus completely fell with an earth-shattering crash, Lin was tossed up, landing several feet away near one of the broken walls. He made no attempt to rise, or even move, as the tendrils rose from the body…

The warriors and Lord Emon had finally made it to the sanctuary, looking at the shattered statues lying about. The doves took off in a panic to the stormy skies outside as the room began to shake. One of the followers shouted to his Lord as the last idol burst into pieces.

"No…" The old man gasped. He quickly looked to the altar and spotted Mono, lying still and cold, and rushed over to her. Instantly he began performing a purification ritual, afraid that their sacrifice had been tainted…

There was a loud 'thud' as everyone in the sanctuary froze, and look to the center of the room. The Ancient Sword came from the opening above, landing on the ground next to the still man… They watched in horror as the snow-white, scar-covered, dark-haired man began to stand up, wheezing out black fog. Two sharp tips of horns now protruded painfully from the sides of his head, Lin still bleeding from the last battle. His body was spent, but he tried to get to his feet nonetheless.

"I don't believe this…" Emon muttered, "So it was you after all. Have you any idea what you've done?!?"

Emon's words fell on deaf ears as Lin continued to struggle.

"Not only did you steal the sword and trespass upon this cursed land, you used the forbidden spell as well…" Emon nodded at two of the men, who started walking for Lin. Before they could reach him, Lin finally staggered onto his feet, his eyes glowing. Emon sneered, "To be reduced to such a sight…"

One of the men readied his bow and arrow, but Lin ignored this and began stumbling forward. His eyes were set on Mono, behind the figures… slowly, dark figures began to appear behind him, following.

"Look… he's possessed by the dead. Hurry up and do it!"

The arrow was sent free, hitting Lin in the leg. The man yelled and lurched forward, grabbing at his leg in pain. Wincing horribly, his gaze refocused on his goal, so he lurched back upright. Black shadow began pouring from the wound.

"It is better to put him out of his misery then to exist, cursed as he is." Emon gestured to the other knight that had approached Lin. The man, though nervous, walked over to Lin and raised the sword at Lin's eyelevel. The wounded man glared up the sword with such a cold stare that the man hesitated; out of fear, he suddenly stabbed the sword straight through Lin's chest.

Lin let out a sharp, pained gasp, reaching his arm out to try and remove the weapon, causing everyone to back away. Black blood poured from the wound all over the floors, staining them further. As he reached to the hilt, he put his other hand out, stumbling forward- he was not going to die, not before he reached her again! When he forcibly ripped the blade from his chest, however, he finally succumbed just short of the altar, collapsing forward.

The shadows followed forward as Lin began to be entirely engulfed in black. Emon decided he should try to recover Mono, and was going to run around the man, but was grabbed back by one of the followers who shrieked. The dark mass around Lin grew monstrously large, massive horns on either side of its head. The figure rose up, a barely visible, dark grin spread across its face.

**Thou severed Our body into sixteen segments for an eternity in order to seal away Our power… **Dormin's heavy voice boomed across the room, **We, Dormin, have risen anew…!**

"He's been resurrected!"

**We have borrowed the body of this warrior… **Dormin's figure enlarged further as the shadowy figures merged with him, chuckling. **Amazing determination, We are quite impressed at the strength of thy people…**

One of the men shouted, "Place a seal over the entire shrine before it's too late!" As soon as they began moving, so did Dormin, reviling in his freedom. Like the colossus that Lin had so bravely destroyed, he began smashing his fists and feet at the men, managing to fell a few. One of the warriors managed to pick up the Ancient Sword before tearing off for the exit with all the others.

"Ready my horse!" Emon commanded sharply, as he was given the sword. The warriors that had lived through the rampage nervously backed up behind the old man as Dormin's figure continued forward. The sword was raised above Emon's head, as the man shouted at the top of his lungs, "Be gone, fowl beast!"

The sword was thrown down to the center of the reflecting pool at the exit of the sanctuary; as soon as the gleaming blade hit the water, a massive burst of light knocked everyone back, Emon's mask falling off and hitting against the wall, breaking into pieces. They all tore out as fast as they could as a massive wind began to blow about the sanctuary.

A faint consciousness rose inside the dark mass of Dormin's body… it began struggling forward for the altar where Mono lay. The girl was completely immobile, the terrible, drawing winds not disturbing her at all. However, parts of the dark mass began to blow away, eventually leaving a single, dark figure, tears being pushed from its eyes. The figure lost grip of the stone… and was blown back toward the pool, disappearing within the watery surface.

All went deathly silent, the rain continuing outside. The night eventually broke into morning, a warm breeze ruffling the sleeves of the silent girl, the warm sun peering down across her face. With a faint sigh, she started to move her hand…


	19. Wiedergeburt

_In Wake_

… _- __Wiedergeburt_

"I'm so tired…" Mono slowly put her hand onto her forehead, squinting up at the ceiling. When she did not recognize the area, she sat up carefully on the cold stone, looking around. Doves flit about the temple, one landing beside her. She moved her hand out and stroked the head of the bird, who didn't flinch in the slightest. The woman then stood up, her bare feet touching the stone floor. She shivered, looking down at her feet, and then at her dress.

She was wearing a funeral gown, pure white, with pastel markings across the front and back, and on the sleeves. A faint twinge of pain came from her side as she moved slightly; she placed her hand over the area and could feel a raised scar through the thin fabric.

"Did they…" Mono breathlessly looked around, "Have I died?"

Her eyes fell upon the black stained floors. Carefully she walked around it, noticing the broken and battered bodies of the villagers that had come. She gasped and ran over, but quickly found the obvious… leaving the bodies, she headed for the reflecting pool in silence.

She paused when the sound of hooves were heard in the temple, looking back. Proving faithful beyond anyone's belief, Agro came limping up from outside and walking into the sanctuary. Mono immediately recognized him and gasped, running over. "Agro! What has happened to you? Where…where is Lin?"

Agro closed his eyes as the woman gently pet him before continuing for the exit to the temple. Mono tilted her head questioningly, but followed behind. Faint, shrill crying started up from the now-empty reflecting pond in the center of the tower. Mono hurried around before Agro to investigate.

There lay an infant, fussing and wriggling, tears running from its face. Two very tiny horns were growing from the side of its head, which was covered in faint, sparse red hair. Mono knelt down and picked the child up, trying to calm it.

"Sssh, good heavens…" She patted the child's back, rocking it slightly. "Who would have left you in a place like-…"

Silently, she rose in realization, spying a broken chunk of Lord Emon's mask lying on the floor. She held the little boy out at arm's length for a moment, gazing at its eyes while it fussed. The striking blue was unmistakable. "Good lord…"

Agro let out a snort, getting Mono's attention before starting up the spiral staircase. The woman held the baby close before starting up behind him, through the now-open door and outside. A staircase on the outside lead up further, reaching the top of the sanctuary…

Here lay a beautiful garden, covered in green grass with fruit-laden trees lining the sides, a pond near one side, and a stone path leading to a large slab with odd symbols carved into its dark marble surface. Birds flitted about the trees, singing gaily as Mono gasped, taking in the wondrous sight. An odd inhabitant, a little deer, noticed the group and, with no fear, approached Mono with a few sprints.

"Oh my…" Mono smiled, kneeling down, the infant in her arms now calming down and looking at the critter, "Hello there! What a nice home you have! Look here, Lin, isn't it nice?"

Agro slowly limped to a patch of grass and silently began nibbling away, looking fairly contented. Mono laughed as the deer sniffed at the little boy, who reached for the creature's nose, the birds singing gaily as a soft breeze rolled by.

"Don't go out too far, Lin!"

"Okay!" The young boy waved back from the pond, turning around quickly with a mischievous look in his eyes. A small turtle stared up at him from under the water, retreating into its shell as it was suddenly picked up. Lin came splashing from the shore, holding it on his head. "Mono, look what I found!"

"You naughty little boy!" She laughed, "Don't scare the poor turtle!"

"Aw, turtles are afraid of –everything- though." Lin looked at it closer, "Not like me though!"

"Oh, and who is it that won't leave my side when it gets dark out?"

"Er… uh… yeah! Agro –is- a big coward!" Lin giggled, looking back at the black horse, who was nibbling at the grass. When Agro looked up at the boy, Lin laughed harder. "He's always scared!"

"I don't think so, you little nut." Mono grabbed him and gave him a noogie, making him shriek. "Now go put that poor turtle back in the pond, this instant!"

"Alright!" He tore back to the water and dropped it back in, returning quickly to Mono and sitting down beside her in the soft grass. "So… now what?"

"What if we explore a little more before going home?"

"Yeah!" Lin clung to the woman, who picked him up as she stood up. Mono grinned, resting her head against the boy's.

"So. Which way?"

"Go that way!" He pointed, "We haven't gone that way for a long time!"

"Off we go!" She took off in a sprint, Lin shrieking with laughter, and Agro following faithfully along behind them.

…_Ende…_

_An alternate path lays ahead… perhaps the 'end' is simply a beginning… delve into 'Erneuerung' and see, perhaps, a different future…_


	20. Erneuerung

_In Wake_

… _- __Erneuerung_

The brilliant sunlight filtered through the wide, open arches beyond the altar, warming the face of the girl lying there. The doves cooed as she touched her forehead with her hand, groaning softly. "My head is killing me…"

Mono slowly sat upright, looking around. The room she was in was like nothing she had ever seen before. However, it wasn't in the best sorts as she gazed around the room… she could see the shattered statues, the blood stained floors… and further beyond, the mangled bodies of the villagers that didn't escape Dormin's wrath. She looked away with a shake of her head, looking at the birds that now sat directly beside her on the altar.

"Oh! I didn't know I had so many guests! Or, I suppose I'm the guest, instead…" She smiled and patted a couple, before they took off as hooves could be heard coming up the stairs. Mono looked that way, then gasped as Agro came limping up the stairs. Immediately recognizing the poor horse, she hurried over. "Agro! What in heaven's name has happened to –you-?"

The horse let out a puff of air as Mono carefully looked him over, running a hand across his side. At this point, she couldn't tell if the leg was broken completely or just sore, and wasn't about to touch it and find out, causing more discomfort. "You poor thing! Where… where is Lin?"

Agro shook his head before limping into the main body of the sanctuary. Mono followed along slowly, seeing the black stains across the floors as she did so. They passed silently by the bodies into the tower housing the spiral staircase, and the slowly-draining, black colored reflecting pool. Mono let out a yelp and instantly ran forward to the edge, stopping just before the black, looking at the figure lying within.

She immediately reached down and pulled him into a seated position, kneeling down beside him and shaking him lightly. The young man barely let out a sigh as Mono continued to shake him. "Lin! Lin, are you awake?"

Slowly he opened his eyes, staring down at the water. Mono carefully took his chin and raised his eyes to her level, looking at him in worry. "Lin, are you alright?"

"I must have… heaven looks just like…"

"Oh Lin!" She gave him a sharp pinch. He yelped, but then froze, slowly looking at her. She smiled. "Good morning!"

He said nothing, glomming onto her with all his might, stammering and sobbing frantically. Mono was a bit surprised, but wound up patting his back and speaking softly to him. "You must calm down… don't cry, I'm here…"

"It's a miracle…" He cried, resting his head against hers. He then caught glimpse of Agro, trying to stand up- he let out a gasp as he fell forward. Mono caught him quickly. "I'm… I feel so weak…"

"Be careful! Here…" Mono slowly helped him to his feet, bringing him over to Agro. Lin reached his hand out and petted his friend on the nose. Agro closed his eyes, seeming heavily relieved, himself.

"My friend… my brother… you still came back…" Lin smiled, "You are truly of a golden spirit…"

"What happened?" Mono kept Lin held, "I don't understand!"

Agro started up the staircase, Lin looking up. He glanced back at Mono, "Well, he's off again… if you will help me, I'll tell you as we go."

"Alright. Ready? One foot first…" She stepped forward with him, "Now step with me. We'll go slow."

The two sat together against the marble slab, which rose from the top of the sanctuary; around them, green grass and trees filled with fruit grew, birds and other small creatures moving around and making noise. Agro sat in the grass nearby, resting. The sun was beginning to set, which they could see off the edge of the garden.

"…you did some horrible things…" Mono muttered quietly. Lin closed his eyes, sighing, turning his head away from her. But she gently began stroking his brilliant red hair. "…but… I owe the world to you…"

"I had to try…"

"I know." She pulled him a little closer. "But no wonder you're so weak…"

"Yeah…" Lin sighed- he knew that, now, the tired feeling in his body would never leave, clinging like a sickness. But… still, he was content, his work having paid off… life would never be the same, but at least there was the most redeeming factor… "Well… I'm sorry for getting you stuck out here too, what will we do?"

"Make do. We'll manage just fine." She smiled. "It doesn't seem so bad here."

"It isn't. There's some beautiful waterfalls, forests… and this big lake filled with –huge- fish…" Lin grinned brightly, "People must have lived here before- there are so many beautiful structures around, I'll have to bring you to all of them!"

"When you can!" Mono laughed, "For now, though, I'm fine sitting right here."

Lin nodded, letting out a relaxed sigh. A faint smile was spread across his face- he moved his hand onto Mono's, slowly leaned over, giving her a kiss, as happy as anybody could ever be.

…_Ende…_


	21. Hinter der Geschichte

In Wake

_? - __Hinter der Geschichte_

Thank you for reading my story, 'In Wake', a retelling of the Shadow of the Colossus game on PS2. It has been a blast writing this fanfiction, even with the extremely long hiatus. I thank all my readers for their patience and feedback. 

This story has been such a long bit of work! I played through the game at least three times before sitting down and finally writing, trying to capture every bit of detail I observed. But as I, and probably you, my reader, have noticed… we are left with a lot of open gaps within the story.

This is where my tale comes in. My goal was to bring forth the richness of the game and fill in the gaps without destroying anything presented by the original. The experiences Lin has faced and still faces are crafted to slip in just perfectly. The history was planned far in advance with research of old religions and living padding it out.

Since you have come this far, my friend, there may still be questions you wish to ask. Or perhaps you are interested in some trivia about how I wrote the story or about the game itself. So let me present to you the section _Hinter der Geschichte_, behind the story…

'In Wake'… 

The title of my story, In Wake, was originally a 'prototype name' that was going to be replaced when something better came to mind. It is short for the phrase 'In the wake of giants', inspired by the name 'Shadow of the Colossus'. However, despite being temporary, it really stuck and was very fitting, yet simple. Another proposed name was simply 'Colossi', which simply doesn't sound as fitting, to me!

It has also become the title of my 'theme song', found farther in this trivia page.

Chapters… 

The chapters in 'In Wake' are all in German. For all those curious, here are the translations of each chapter. (The list may be incomplete for awhile.) Why did I decide to use German for the titles? It was a bit of an unexpected discovery- I had only intended the first title to be in German, but I found it stuck pretty well with the rest of the story too!

_I -Das Wandern – _The Wandering

_II- Jagen Des Ungeheuers – _Hunting the Monster

_III -Innerhalb Der Küstehöhle_ – Within the Coastal Cave

_IV -Schlafenzorn_ – Sleeping Anger

_V- Tödliche Schönheit_ – Deadly Beauty

_VI -See des Nebels_ – Lake of Fog

_VII- Alter Riese_ – Old Giant

_VIII -Elektrische Schlange_ – Electric Serpent

_IX -Vergessenes Kolosseum_ – Forgotten Coliseum

_X -Gleiten in Unterordnung_ – Falling into Subordination

_XI -Verschiebenwüste_ – Shifting Desert

_XII -Randalieren Sie_ – Rampage

_XIII -Fluß Mammut_ – River Mammoth

XIV- Himmelspur – Sky Trail XV - Zerstören Sie - Destroy 

_XVI – Verlassene Welt – _Abandoned World

_XVII - __Schließlich Rüber – _Finally Over

_XVIII - – __Wiedergeburt_ – Rebirth

_XIX(?) – Erneuerung_ – Renewal

_? - Hinter der Geschichte_ – Behind the Story

The Name 'Lin'… 

The name Lin is an old English name, meaning 'waterfall'. Water is a powerful substance, as calm as a slow breeze at one moment to an unstoppable, rampaging force the next. Much is Lin's reactions to his world and what happens around him.

His 'true name' is Wander, but even then he is still just a nameless young man fighting his way to a seemingly impossible goal. I could not let such a dedicated person live without a proper title, so I settled on the name Lin fairly quickly.

Lin was decided before the story was written; as I played the game, I referred to him as Lin, both when describing him and talking to him (as in, 'Lin! Get up! You're going to get stepped on!' an event that, unfortunately, happened too often **laugh**) It was short and simple, but still seemed to fit him perfectly. It also gave the story my personal touch without adding any characters or changing things beyond recognition.

I still will recognize when people speak of Wander, but if you were to say Lin… no doubt you would be greeted by a great smile!

The Meaning of 'Mono', and her tale… 

Mono is, of course, Lin's dearly departed childhood friend and love… for the entire story she is lifeless, yet Lin still visits and handles the girl as if she were still there. A challenge for me was to give her a past that fit within the story. The solution initially came from her name.

'Mono' is an old word (I haven't the origins right now, it is either Greek or Latin) meaning 'one' or 'singular'. (It is also, more commonly these days, short for mononucleosis, a nasty little disease that lingers in your system far too long- but I displaced this far in my head when writing!) So I decided to take it literally, making her name being the equivalent of how long she 'lived' as an infant before being revived.

Another important reference to Mono is her birds- from the crow that revived her to the doves that linger around the altar, a nod taken from in-game references and the older game, 'ICO'. Centering her story around her birds was natural- her own, calm, caring nature was easily projected through this theme as well. Even Lin, as you may have noticed, understands the doves appearing around her are waiting for her return. I was glad this past worked out so well for the story…!

Dormin's Comments, Behaviors… 

When writing, it is easier to write dialog if, of course, there is someone else to speak to. While I stuck true to the original script (his introduction scene and the words directly after each colossus are nearly exact to the in-game versions) I also decided he should, as in the game, speak to Lin from afar. But instead of saying the same things over again… he became handy as a force to drive Lin along with sharp comments or observation.

I also focused on changing about the male and female tones from time to time. Occasionally Dormin seems gentle, almost motherly… and at other times forceful and strong. True to the game, the 'female' side eventually vanishes.

It has been pointed out to me, and I truly agree, that Dormin is not entirely 'evil' in the traditional sense. He did warn Lin of an unhappy outcome at the beginning, and does offer advice now and then… but like anybody, he still has his side of greed. I found him to be extremely crafty at convincing Lin to do his dirty work, and, in the end, -did- keep his promise. Not as bad as the Queen from ICO, hm?

Losing Control, Illness… 

Part of what I wanted to focus on while writing was the changes Lin's body and mind must have gone through during the adventure. While in the game the changes were very slight until the end, I figured that, if it were real, he would be having much worse effects between then. I focused first on physical symptoms, and then worked on mental changes…

Lin never struck me as the 'strong' sort of person- he is a bit spindly; fast, yes, but not the strongest looking man in the world. His native skills lie in the bow, as proven by his direct aim even when on horseback. Also, he is quick to flee. So I naturally assumed that the outside stimuli, both from Dormin's encouragement, his own anger, and infection from the colossus, is what drove him to bringing down the Colossi. Eventually in the story, he begins to lose control of his anger and mindlessly attacks; he questions these actions but then refocuses on his final goal.

Of course, there is the issue of afterwards…!

Colossus Names… 

All the proper names of the colossus are used in this story. If you read the original versions of one particular chapter, you might or might not have noticed I switched some names around! Whoops! Here are the English, Real, and Scientific names in order:

I: The Minotaur - Valus - Minotaurus Colossus

II: Taurus Major - Quadratus - Taurus Magnus

III: Earth Knight - Gaius - Terrestris Veritas

IV: Equus Prime - Phaedra - Equus Bellator Apex

V: Delta Phoenix - Avion - Avis Praeda

VI: The Goliath - Barba - Belua Maximus

VII: Sea Dragon - Hydrus - Draco Marinus

VIII: Wall Shadow - Kuromori - Parietinae Umbra

IX: Storm Echo - Basaran - Nimbus Recanto

X: Sand Tiger - Dirge - Harena Tigris

XI: Flame Guardian - Celosia - Ignis Excubitor

XII: Great Basilisk - Pelagia - Permagnus Pistrix

XII: Trail Drifter - Phalanx - Aeris Velivolus

XIV: Destruction Luster - Cenobia - Clades Candor

XV: The Sentinel - Argus - Praesidium Vigilo

XVI: Grand Gigas - Malus - Grandis Supernus

This is the only name I must comment on, for right away I recognized it. Barba may be translated out of German into beard, how absolutely fitting!

'In Wake', Unfinished Theme… 

Somewhere in the depth of my notebooks, I had written down some lyrics to a theme song that would fit my story. Unable to write music, however, the tune quickly slipped away from my memory. Blast. But here, for the history books, are the lyrics to this unfinished theme…

The last knight has fallen to the sword 

_And a final breath released to the world_

_May you stand proudly at the break of the day_

_Pushing your troubles far away_

_Into the wake of giants_

_A million little miracles brought me to you_

_And a million little wishes saw you through,_

_Again may we meet at the setting of the sun,_

_Where the wild winds run_

_Within the wake of giants_

CHORUS – 

_O! Behold the might_

_Pain fades from sight_

_Now my arms, held tight_

_Will welcome you once more…_

_All struggles now cease to be,_

_Once again love returns to me,_

_Let me forget the sins we've done_

_We shall walk toward the sun,_

_Within the wake of giants._

_**Chorus**_

So may our tale now find its end 

_All prayers to heaven we'll send_

_Into the earth our hearts will blend_

_All wounds we mend…_

_In the wake of giants._

Two Paths… 

Due to overwhelming requests, my story has two endings… May you read _Wiedergeburt_, the original… and _Erneuerung_ for the alternate path… which will bring our hero to a different fate.

Finality… 

For now, this is all the extra information I may offer. Questions may be sent to me at (please remove the '('s around the , this is to prevent spam) with the subject relating to In Wake. I would be glad to offer answers to your questions about the story or about the game. If there is a section you would like me to elaborate upon, please tell me and I will add it to this extra section! Thank you so much!


End file.
